#oc:mik/mikhail

[awkwardgtace]

Mikhail's Realization

Hey Hey finally finished this. Brain tried to do like a million ideas in one for this, but I did it. We're back with Mikhail and Ian in the alien sizeshifters AU

Mikhail has learned lots about humans and asks Ian to attend an event that would have a crowd. Unfortunately he gets more than he bargained for.

Mikhail's Realization

Mikhail thought he’d grown to have a semblance of understanding for humans. Not all of them, but at least ones from Ian’s region. He knew they used a type of currency to access goods and services. He managed to acquire an amount Ian claimed “would leave him set for life”. That terminology wasn’t entirely clear, but Mikhail assumed it meant he didn’t need to acquire more.

He understood from traveling to the settlement with Ian in the past that humans were slow, and at least Ian seemed to have less stamina. Mikhail made a form of transport mimicking what human media showed as “cool”. A motorized bicycle which he added an automatic balance and an automatic pilot to.

All of that made him confident when he stood outside of Ian’s door after he learned of an event occurring in the nearby settlement. It would be his first chance to observe humans gathered together. Of course he felt best if Ian accompanied him. The times he’d been around humans gave him a need to retreat. His brother helped relieve that. 

Although there were issues around Ian at times as well. It was often a struggle to match Ian’s size. His control was to a level even others of his own kind found it off putting, yet around Ian…

Mikhail forced his thoughts to the back of his mind and knocked. A period of crashes sounded before the door slid open. Ian appeared with his chest heaving. Mikhail felt his antennae twist in concern, but chose to ignore it. He did not want to become what media called a “worrywart”. A common issue when their species’ ups and downs were so different.

“Hey,” Ian leaned against the doorframe. “What’s up?” 

“I have learned of a ‘festival’ in the nearby settlement. I thought it would be good to attend. We could also test the transportation properly.”

Moments of silence settled between them. Ian’s expression changed more than once. Mikhail couldn’t put emotions to each look, some gave him worry. The way Ian’s pupils constricted as he thought sent a strangely familiar surge of energy urging Mikhail to grow down his back. He’d only felt this energy once on his own planet, but it was common among humans. He found it incredibly strange. His brother’s sigh brought back his focus.

“The crowd shouldn’t be bad if we go now, I’ll be ready in a few minutes,” Ian grinned. His eyes moved again, the pupils constricted. Another familiar surge through Mikhail’s body.

“I will wait near the entrance once I have applied my human disguise.”

The door slid closed as Mikhail walked away. Slowly he let himself start to grow. The process itself always soothed his anxieties and cleared his mind. The bones in his body unfolded as his skin stretched. He let himself grow as fast as he could once he’d left the smaller portion of his ship. Quick steps brought him to his disguise applicator. He stepped inside and applied the settings Ian had suggested to make him look ‘more normal’. Subtle shifts to make his human face less symmetrical. The reason why still eluded him.

The process happened too fast for him to truly experience it. One moment he was his maximum height, the next he was barely taller than Ian. His antennae twitched uncomfortably under his hair. They were locked down with a substance that was partly used to mold into human ears. That part still made him curious how humans managed. If they couldn’t move their ears to hear dangers, how had they avoided them?

Mikhail made a mental note to research human history at a later point.

He stepped out into the open. He attempted to preoccupy his mind with other thoughts. As he took in his ship from his current position, he once more considered Ian’s fear of his size. If he had felt trapped with a being so much larger, one he didn’t understand, he knew his own heart would slow to a steady rhythm. Even more so if he had the stories humans told. 

That reminded him of something else he’d found strange. Based on what he had understood, they had similar diets. Plant based and the meat off trees. Strange that they had a fear of a similar looking being eating them. Although the pred-

“Mik,” Ian’s voice nearly made his antennae rip free of his disguise. He attributed the silence of Ian’s approach to the difference in their senses. Humans’ had much more sensitive ones. “So what did you make for transport anyway? A flying saucer?” 

“I don’t know what that is so I do not believe so,” Mikhail answered. Ian shifted slightly, a smile on his face.

“Guess that would be too on the nose. So is it a car?”

“No.” Mikhail mimicked an expression of confusion he’d seen. 

“Right, that makes sense…”

 “I printed what my research calls a ‘motorcycle’. It was similar to vehicles I’ve used on my own planet. I added an automatic balance feature and an automatic pilot. It seemed to be the safest option for us to use around the local flora.” 

Mikhail walked towards the entrance of the ship and stopped in front of the motorcycle. Turning back, Ian's eyes were wide. For a moment Mikhail could barely keep himself from growing. Something about the look Ian had sent more energy surging through him. Pupils small, eyes almost hungry. It wasn’t… it wasn’t what he expected from the human he’d already grown close to. As Ian approached he fought to ignore the push of instincts.

“This is… wow. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but how does it even work? Not gas right?”

“Gas?” Mikhail tilted his head. Ian didn’t respond, running his hands over the vehicle instead. “It uses an electric battery that charges with proximity to the ship. My intention was for you to ‘drive’ as it were. I would sit behind you. In theory I should be able to grow fast enough to protect us both from injury if there is an issue.”

“An electric bike… makes sense. Maybe I can get him to leave it when…” The words were soft. Ian trailed off at the end. Something he had been doing a lot. Something he’d ask after this excursion, preferably when he managed to match Ian’s height directly. Likely his larger size outside of his disguise kept Ian from divulging his worries. The softness was lost as Ian looked back at him. “Wait, don’t you have to open the door before we leave? I thought you had to be-” Ian motioned towards the ceiling with his hands-” to open the ship.”

“There are proper interfaces to open the ship all along the wall. I thought I had explained that. Regardless-” Mikhail tapped the screen near the handles of the vehicle, the ship’s door opened in response- “I have added something akin to a ‘garage opener’ to this vehicle.”

Ian’s mouth hung open for a few seconds. Mikhail felt his antennae tugging to twist and untwist themselves. A worry this was too far. Instead, Ian climbed on the motorcycle. After a heavy pause, he laughed. Mikhail used that as a sign he should take his own seat. Worry made him pause when Ian tensed, but the relaxing of his brother’s shoulders pushed the worry to the back of his mind. 

“So, uh, how do we drive this thing?” Ian asked. 

Mikhail leaned forward and tapped the center a few times. An autopilot was enabled. He grabbed the handles and the vehicle roared to life. “It will start once hands are placed on the handles. An autopilot will drive to destinations. I have set it to go towards the settlement.”

“Make sure you call it a city or town when we’re there. Although I guess it doesn’t matter since no one else will know what you’re saying.” 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reaching the settlement was uneventful. Ian grabbed the handles at one point, but did not fight the autopilot. They left the vehicle at the edge of things Ian called barricades. Together they entered the blocked off location. Mikhail felt his heart slow to a steadier rhythm as they reached the event. Ian stated the crowd would be small, but there were dozens of humans around them. His own species rarely gathered in groups so large; it posed too great a danger. Screams and laughter reached his ears. The high pitch of them could not be comfortable for humans.

“Is this-”

“This is almost exactly how I remember it. The crowd is still small too,” Ian cut him off. Ian’s eyes were nearly shining, the black pupil a small dot amid the brown. Another surge shot through Mikhail. Looking around at the humans only made the surge increase in intensity. This feeling they caused would need to be resolved before visiting what Ian would call a ‘large crowd’.

“I see,” Mikhail tried to hide his discomfort. Ian’s head moved on a swivel, clearly enraptured by the scene around them. He grabbed Mikhail’s hand and brought him deeper into the crowd. The contact with his brother helped to calm the energy pushing him to grow.

“Let’s take a look at the games, it’s early enough that good prizes should still be around!”

Mikhail’s antennae twitched in agreement. He was dragged towards a “game” that required a feat of strength to knock blocks down. His own attempt failed, missing the blocks by a larger margin than he expected. The precision of Ian and the other humans was impressive. He would need to look into what allowed it, perhaps their eyes.

Next Ian brought him to something that used a ‘water gun’ and required it to be aimed at a target. The loud music and bells at someone’s success made it hard for Mikhail to focus. His heart steadied at the thought of humans noticing his struggles. Luckily, they were too focused on the target. Another thing that seemed dangerous. Wouldn’t predators be able to catch them if they were only focused on something in one spot ahead of them?

The loud music and a cheer from beside him moved that thought to the back of his mind. Ian managed to win, achieving ownership of a soft doll of a native creature. He’d ask about it once there was less noise. He wasn’t confident humans with their sensitive hearing would be able to focus easily on discussion.

A long period of time passed with them traveling from vendor to vendor. More games of dexterity and strength. Eventually Ian mumbled something about “bad advertising” when they approached a stall. The ‘prizes’ looked to be stuffed toys, much like the others. This time they all wore shirts that had some form of writing on them and were colored white with black spots. At least to him that was the coloring, he still hadn’t confirmed if humans saw the same shades. He doubted it after Ian had won three stuffed toys of the same variety and color.

“Well boys, gonna try your luck? Place a bet on any number. If you win you get a cow with a coupon for some  hotdogs,” the vendor said. Mikhail narrowed his eyes at the terms. He couldn’t remember ‘cow’ or ‘hotdog’ from his research. Once they left he’d need to ask about it.

“Sure why not?” Ian said. The vendor held something out, Ian swiped a plastic card, the object he swiped against began dispensing small circular plastic objects. Plastic still interested him on a structural level. His kind didn’t have anything similar. He let his mind wander while Ian ‘bet on numbers’.

The vendor spun a wheel that had a strange arrow flicking across a circle of numbers. The silent movement was entrancing. All too soon it stopped with bells ringing again. Mikhail tilted his head, the vendor had a clear distaste towards the alert. 

“Well looks like we have a winner,” the vendor’s tonal indication was more annoyed than joyous. Mikhail looked at Ian who had a smirk on his face before looking at where the numbers to bet were. Each and every one had a circular plastic object on them. “You get the big prize, a stuffed cow and a ten percent off coupon at the hotdog cart… enjoy.”

“Oh, we will,” Ian sounded confident. He took the ‘cow’ along with a slip of paper. When their eyes met, Ian rushed to look away. Mikhail merely tilted his head, once more confused at the action. Ian grabbed his arm and pulled him along. It was the first time Mikhail felt shock at the strength behind the action. He’d thought Ian was weaker…

Ian led them to a quiet part of the event. He sat on some available public seating, and Mikhail mimicked his actions. They sat in silence for a period of time. Mikhail used it to observe the other humans. Throughout the time at the event he’d noticed a number of odd looks sent towards the two of them. At least once he caught some mumbled words, but all he could understand was Ian’s name. Excluding that, this event appeared to be something to relax and bring the community together. It wasn’t quite what he expected. His own kind celebrated indoors primarily out of safety.

“Sorry, Mik,” Ian said. Mikhail looked at him, the human wasn’t meeting his eyes. Hands playing with the ‘cow’. “You wanted to come here, but I wound up dragging you all over instead.”

“I do not quite understand, ” Mikhail said. He tilted his head. The easiest manner to denote confusion. Something most species understood. One he recognized among humans immediately. Ian looked up at him, eyes shining. A feeling in them he couldn’t easily describe. “This is how to experience the ‘festival’, correct?”

“You’re not just trying to make me feel better right?” Mikhail tilted his head to the other side and Ian laughed. “Guess I shouldn’t expect you to do that… or to know what’s happening when you keep calling it a festival. That’s good though… I’m glad I didn’t ruin your day.” Silence settled between them. Humans around them laughed and screamed in joy. Ian sat staring out for a few more moments. “My parents took me here every year when I was a kid… back when my dad was alive, before my mom married my step dad. It was fun, we couldn’t win any of the prizes. She tried for hours to win that stupid betting game, if she… if she’d spent all the money on one round she would have won…”

Mikhail didn’t have any reference for response. Ian’s tone and facial expression denoted sadness. He’d seen things in media suggesting physical affection would be best, but his brother did not appear to enjoy frequent physical touch. His own instincts were to grow in order to offer a safe place for the one in pain. Instead he waited in silence.

“It wasn’t long before my dad died…” Ian leaned against him. It was unexpected, but he moved to wrap an arm around him. Mimicking what humans were shown to appreciate… Finding his own comfort rising from the proximity. It made the looks sent their way, the need to grow in size, fall away. Time passed, humans came and went, prizes won. Eventually Ian sat up straight, Mikhail removed his arm. “I’ll… go get a hotdog. Can you eat human food?”

“The structures I’ve analyzed should be fine. What is this ‘hotdog’ made of?” Mikhail once again tilted his head. 

“This,” Ian held up the ‘cow’, “except the real animal. Not a stuffed toy. This place is known for all beef hotdogs.”

Mikhail’s antennae nearly pulled free from the disguise. It took all his strength to speak, “I do not think it would be safe…”

“I’ll be right back then.”

Ian walked off. Mikhail’s heart began to beat at a slow steady rhythm. His body froze despite the moderate climate. Humans ate fauna of the planet. He had never realized that. His studies in the media had left a number of words he could not parse. He hadn’t found any that depicted the origin of food.

Although Ian’s build and weaker stamina indicated a similar status to his own kind. His inexperience among properly intelligent species had caused this misunderstanding. The training he’d received had accounted for these situations. He’d broken protocol by revealing himself to Ian. By disabling safety mechanisms for himself in favor of the human.

When they first met Ian had broken his skin with his nails. At the time he’d assumed it was a panic response, retractable sharp appendages for defense. Perhaps… perhaps it was something for hunting. Something for breaking the skin on a living creature designated as a meal. For attacking prey… Prey like Mikhail and his entire species.

“Mik?” Ian’s muffled voice shocked him. His heartbeat slowed once more, growing terrifyingly steady. A beat too steady. Thump, thump, thump. It echoed through his body. He looked up to find Ian with what had to be a hotdog in his mouth. “I got lemonade, is that safe for you?”

He couldn’t answer. Mikhail blindly took the offered cup. The liquid inside reflected a dull yellow.  He could only hope that he’d be able to remain calm until returning to his ship. Once there he’d add his own precautions to handle Ian’s predatory instincts. He would be safe…

“Mik?” 

“Your friend ok buddy? He looks out of it?” Another human said. Mikhail slowly managed to look at the new one. It didn’t stop him from seeing Ian bite the meal, the prey, easily. “He looks kind of pale. You get sick on one of the rides? That lemonade may help ya feel a bit better.”

The new human reached for him. He panicked, drinking the lemonade to hopefully make them stop. He had belief, perhaps more of a hope, that Ian was safe. Other humans could potentially see through his disguise. Use their better senses to learn that he was prey. Prey which this crowd could turn around and hunt. The knowledge this was a small gathering made his mind run wild. Human claws could break his skin at his full size, if enough decided to attack his size wouldn’t be enough to prevail…

“Mik… are you ok? Was that safe?” Ian’s words were the only ones his mind would process. The other human continued to talk. The hand came closer, Ian intervened. Would Ian be able to protect him? Would his smallest size be seen as easy prey by his human brother? Could they share a familial bond when he was prey and the other wasn’t?

The humans in front of him were talking. Ian and the other one. His antennae ached as they tried to pull close and twist together. The colors dulled, the voices were lost. His body began to ache. He hunched over covering his middle with his arms. More human words tried to break into his panicked mind. A hand touched him, he flinched. When he managed to look up, he met Ian.

“Mik, come on,” his words barely made it through. The human he had assumed was weak easily pulled him up to stand. Ian took most of his weight and started to return to their vehicle. 

Mikhail blinked.

They were near vendors they’d visited.

Blinked again.

At the exit. Ian wasn’t carrying the multiple prizes. Mikhail would try to fabricate them at home…

Another blink.

Near the vehicle. 

Another blink. 

Standing beside it.

 Another blink. 

Ian was saying something. He couldn’t make out the words. His translator wasn’t working. Or it was and his own mind was failing. His heart’s steady beat only added to his panic and fear.

Another blink.

“-seat-” A word broke through. The seat… Ian wanted him on the seat. Mikhail did his best to move. More pain wracked his body. Strength that hadn’t been obvious was used to aid him. He managed to take a seat. Barely holding himself up before Ian took a seat in front of him. He was quickly pulled forward, his weight mostly supported by Ian. “Just hold on, I’ll get you back.”

Another blink. 

Wind in his face. Ian was talking. Flora blurred around them. 

Another blink.

The body beneath him felt smaller. The pain ebbed.

“Mik,” Ian’s voice was easier to understand. “Try to hold on at this size at least, I don’t wanna get crushed.”

Mikhail focused. It was hard to focus. He had never had such an immediate response to something before. Perhaps it was the smaller size. He had to be smaller.

Another blink.

Ian was bigger than normal. Not by much. Panic gripped his mind. Words slipped out, “Not safe…”

“What’s not safe, Mik?” Tone indicated panic. He couldn’t imagine why. “Doesn’t matter, you can get bigger if it helps, just don’t go too far past what you were at. I can take it.”

Mikhail groaned. His body reacted to the words even if his mind couldn’t. He grew slightly. Enough that he could hide Ian by hunching over the right way. The threat currently helping him didn’t seem to mind. It wouldn’t mind because the threat was Ian, a being he shared a familial bond with. At least temporarily.

“We’ll be there soon. Just hold on… You can’t leave me yet…”

Mikhail wanted to know what those words meant. He wouldn’t be leaving. Another blink.

And another.

And one that lasted longer.

Then the ship was in sight. Ian was saying something. He couldn’t make his mind understand. The words were translated. He knew that. The robotic voice in his mind promised him nothing was wrong. His body grew a bit once more. Ian grunted. There were no complaints. The pain ebbed again. His mind cleared a little. Not enough.

A blink. They were in the ship. A blink. Ian was talking. Words… Asking for medical equipment. Medical equipment was…

“End of size hall,” was all he could manage. 

“Size hall? My size hall? Gimme something Mik.”

Mikhail managed to nod. Silent affirmation. Ian understood. The vehicle… they were still on the vehicle. In the ship. Driving. Down the hall. His body ached. His heart’s steady beat seemed to grow louder. His antennae were wrapped tightly and painfully at the back of his head… His disguise was broken then. 

“Hold on, this is gonna be a rough stop.” Ian’s words only made the steady beat grow louder. Steadier. Almost painful. It made him worried. Would this human drink be enough to kill him? It shouldn’t be… his full size could handle a toxin in that amount. Ian nearby would be dangerous to grow. Although a predator would be fine. Was Ian truly a predator? Were humans?

His moment of doubt fell away as Ian’s hand locked on his arm. Sharp nails pricked his skin. His blood seeped out. Slow, but steady. Steady as his heart was beating. His panic returned. A predator was with him while he was in danger. A predator that the ship was not prepared to defend him against. Then he blinked.

“So, we’re gonna tuck and roll. I don't know how to stop this thing.” Mikhail didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t matter. Ian pushed them both off the vehicle. It had been slow enough to avoid injury, perhaps some light skin discoloration. When they stopped moving Ian forced him onto his back. He looked down with shimmering eyes. “Mik, how can I use this stuff here to help. What do I do?”

Mikhail didn’t have an answer. There wasn’t a clear cause to the issue. The lemonade could have had additives he didn’t know about… It could have been fauna. His kind could only eat the flora on his planet. He was still setting up the spot on the ship for Ian’s food needs long term, this information could cause issues. His mind wouldn’t focus, he was exhausted.

“Wait, you talked when you got bigger. If you grow, would that help? Will it fix you? At least until you’re able to make some antidote yourself.” Mikhail couldn’t bring himself to respond. “Mik please, I’m not ready for you to be gone. Not yet, please.”

Mikhail closed his eyes. That didn’t sound quite right. Not about just this, just death. He managed to nod.

“Ok, ok grow. I’ll stay here with you. Just whatever will fix this.” Mikhail listened. A tiny part of him was worried how Ian would react to seeing the disguise torn apart. The panicked part of him didn’t care. He grew. “I’m sorry Mik, this is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”

Mikhail felt more aware as his body grew. The threat Ian and other humans posed felt far away. It was something to discuss later. He carefully brought a hand close to Ian, to his brother. He wrapped his fingers around the body that was much sturdier than he realized. Then slowly tilted it so Ian was left on his palm. 

He brought the hand close to his face, allowing himself to grow faster. The way his bones unfolded and his skin stretched helped mask the pain. Once at his full size he stared at Ian. His arm was still bleeding, it would take hours to heal. It wasn’t deadly. His body had pains all over, but it wasn’t as intense. The panic ebbed as he faced his crying brother. This human was safe. As long as they were on equal footing there would be no issues.

After this debacle, Mikhail would add precautions on the ship. More ways to get around if he needed them. Add some safety measures if Ian appeared to enter a need to hunt. It would make it much easier to avoid the threat of being toyed with due to instincts. A memory tried to surface, but his mind was too unsteady to parse it.

As his mind succumbed to a level of exhaustion he’d never felt before, he heard Ian calling his name. The only being in the universe he’d met that used a shortened form…

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikhail first became aware of the empty feeling in his hand. Ian had left, probably the best option. He could work on the precautionary measures. As he opened his eyes, a dark shadow left him partly blinded. He carefully pushed himself out of it, worried that something had fallen. His body froze, a high pitched whine escaped his chest.

The shadow cast over him was Ian. Big enough Mikhail could fit in Ian’s hand. Ian twitched in his sleep and Mikhail’s heart slowed. His own kind had never felt dangerous with this kind of difference in size. The whine in his chest rose even higher. It wasn’t until the skin covering Ian’s eyes began to move that Mikhail considered his whine might be heard.

One eye opened, he could feel as the massive predator’s gaze passed him by. It forced a memory to the front of his mind, the same one his exhausted mind couldn’t understand. A younger and more adventurous version of himself leaving town when his size had changed. Just before new guardians arrived. Two predators that circled him until someone arrived. Those eyes with a portion like Ian’s that would screw and unscrew. Wax and wane. Focus on the prey.

“Mik…?” Ian’s voice was low. Mikhail tried not to panic as the other eye opened. If he avoided sudden movements then Ian wouldn’t feel instincts to hunt kick in. He’d be fine. They’d discuss it later… This time once Mikhail was ready. “Am I still asleep?”

Ian moved, his shadow grew. Mikhail found himself stumbling back. He barely managed to keep his movements slow. Ian didn’t appear to mind Mikhail’s nerves. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for a predator to enjoy teasing prey. He’d seen it in the field studies he completed before leaving his home.

Once Ian sat up straight, he rubbed his eyes. Mikhail took the chance to try to back away more, but he must have made noise. Ian stopped and stared at him after a single step. Hands shot toward him. An action that he was used to. That was common. Yet it still made him flinch, which made the steady thump in his chest grow worse. His body felt heavy when the hands stopped just shy of him.

“Mik…?” Ian’s voice was softer than before. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know the lemonade would do this to you…”

Mikhail tried to think. If he could talk then this would be better. They’d come to an understanding… He hoped.

“How…” Ian’s voice cracked. Water rolled down his face. “How can I help?”

Ian’s hands moved again. Mikhail slid further back, the translator fell off as he moved. This was the problem with the ones that changed size with him, they weren’t as likely to stay attached. His antennae twisted painfully behind his head. He could already feel the knot they’d formed in his sleep.

“Mik…” 

Mikhail could feel the moment the gaze turned from him. It focused on the translator sitting in front of him. Ian squinted his eyes, a heavy breath left him. Mikhail shivered as it passed him. 

“You are safe. I will not hurt you.”

Ian… Ian spoke Mikhail’s language. It wasn’t the same as when Mikhail attempted human English. A perfect mimicry. So perfect Mikhail would believe Ian was another researcher who’d arrived at the wrong planet. That kicked Mikhail’s mind into gear. Everything he’d read about the predator’s on his own planet left those with mimicry at this level the most deadly.

“Th-there’s no problem.” Mikhail would explain and things would be fine. That was how it worked in theory. There was no reason Ian would cave to instincts over rationale at this moment. Mikhail just had to stay confident. Confident and move slowly. “It appears my body has taken to this size after processing the drink. I did not intend to cause trouble. I had misunderstood the gathering. A chance to display hunting skills was not something I should have been present for. I will be fine, you should return… to…”

Mikhail trailed off as Ian’s head tilted. It caused his shadow to move, the dull light of the room made it hard to meet Ian’s eyes. He waited, afraid of what his words might cause. Ian’s hands moved again. One dropped to the human’s side, but the other moved closer and closer. Mikhail couldn’t stop himself from flinching. He closed his eyes expecting that movement to trigger human hunt instincts.

He waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually, Mikhail risked opening his eyes. Ian’s fingers were close, holding the translator between two human claws. He looked up to find  Ian’s head tilted to one side. His eyes wide with the black portion almost enough to eclipse the brown color. The fingers came closer, Mikhail reached up. He grabbed the translator, careful to avoid the sharp edges of the claws. Almost reluctantly he stuck the base to his neck and the speaker to the end of his antennae. The reluctance fell away as the fingers were pulled back.

“...I’m sorry Mik,” Ian’s voice was soft. Softer than before. “I don’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was just supposed to be for fun. You said most foods were fine, I thought organic lemonade counted. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… I.. How can we fix what it did? Once you’re back to normal I’ll leave. I'm so sorry.”

Mikhail braced himself before speaking. As terrifying as he found Ian, he didn’t want his human brother to leave. His fear would subside much like Ian’s. “There will be no problem. Once I have regained enough energy I will be fine and add protection for myself against your hunting instincts. We will need to add something to the ship for once my work on this planet is done so that your instincts-”

Mikhail was cut off as Ian’s hands surrounded him. His heart slowed to a point that even Ian’s better senses wouldn’t be sure it wasn’t stopped. A relatively normal response to a predator that was too big to escape. Mikhail logically knew that he should be safe. Ian had experienced being held, which was the easiest way to teach the others of his own species how to handle each other. That logic wasn’t winning.

“Wait, you want me to go with you after you finish here?” Ian’s voice was loud, Mikhail’s tangled antennae ached as they attempted to stay frozen. Digits with sharp claws rested all around him. Some touched his skin. “Mik… oh fuck Mik? Mik please answer. Did I hurt you?”

All his instincts won. Mikhail stayed silent and frozen as Ian’s predatory eyes stared at his tiny form. There were times he felt positive his heart would stop beating entirely. The eyes above him started to shine, quickly followed by drops of water. Ian was crying again. The human began to shake as he climbed to his feet.

“No, no, no,” Ian whispered. Mikhail could feel the pain in those words. At the same time his body felt cold. His mind wouldn’t work, his body couldn’t move. Mikhail’s instincts won over his rational thinking. Which left the idea of Ian’s instincts winning at the forefront of his frazzled thoughts.

He was pressed against Ian’s chest. The rapid heartbeat of the human only left more fear in his body. Even at this size Ian’s steps were shockingly silent. Mikhail faced inner turmoil as Ian moved. The part of him that trusted his human brother wanted to feel at ease. He knew he’d be trapped at this size, he’d have grown already if it was possible. Yet the knowledge that Ian could view him as prey… could kill him, continued to be the louder part of him.

“Shit, shit,” Ian mumbled to himself. Mikhail felt guilty at being the cause. He heard a loud bang that crushed the guilt quickly. “Open already damn it!”

The sound of a door sliding open created more fear. He had no idea what a human might do with potentially dead prey. His antennae felt as though they’d fall off with how rigid they were. Keeping still was somehow more painful than when they continued moving after becoming knotted. Although the knot they were in now would be difficult to free them from.

“This stupid computer has to tell me something,” Ian’s voice was loud now. Mikhail didn’t realize a human could be quite so loud. The digits curled in and pressed against him. The claws were against his skin. A minor increase in pressure and they’d break his skin. He wouldn’t survive his skin breaking at this scale… Not if humans reacted to the blood as predators on his own planet did.

The hand holding him moved. The speed left him dazed as Ian’s hand landed flat on the desk. He hadn’t even noticed the human sitting down. From his position he stared into the room he hadn’t entered since Ian’s panic. Slowly his mind began to process what he saw.

The crashes from before the festival finally made sense. Machines from the ship were scattered all over, inner workings exposed. Squinting slightly he could see that each machine had a book in his own language resting atop them. The oddity itself allowed his nerves to ease. 

“Come on, come on,” Ian’s voice brought Mikhail back to his situation. Doing what he could to avoid moving, he focused back on his brother’s face. “What do I do? Would cpr work? I don’t even know what the proper beat for his heart is. Does he breathe? Gimme something you stupid computer!”

Ian growled. The growl snapped Mikhail out of his frozen state enough to flinch ever so slightly. That tiny flinch was enough for Ian to notice. The human’s eyes locked on his form again. 

“Mik?” Ian whispered. The hand Mikhail was on moved. A whine escaped him causing the hand to freeze immediately. “Mik… are you ok?”

Mikhail couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“What happened? Did-did I do something?”

Mikhail wanted to explain, but his instincts had already taken back over. They only grew stronger as Ian loomed over him. A perfect chance to see teeth different from his own. Ones he thought were the same. Sharp points that would tear flesh. His own looked sharp, but wouldn’t break skin. Not even the biggest of his species would be capable of a feat like that. Their teeth were too flat.

A strong gust of wind pulled Mikhail’s hair forward. Something he should be used to, but knowing it was a predator made it terrifying. Ian’s breath. Pushed back again as he breathed out.

“Mikhail, how can I help? I’ll leave after I promise. Just tell me how to help.”

A whine Mikhail knew he’d only made once in the past escaped his chest. After he was saved from predators, after he was blamed for being young enough to be foolish. He didn’t want that pain again. He was saved back then, someone willing to take his care on full time despite his constant size changing. Ian was ready to leave, even used his full name.

“Mik,” Mikhail managed to get a single word out. Ian’s eyes changed. Wide look and miniscule pupils. “You always say Mik…”

“I��” Ian’s mouth hung open. Fear surged in Mikhail’s body. Pain reached every part of his being, a desperate need to grow. “Yeah I do… What… what happened?”

Mikhail struggled, speaking to a predator while this vulnerable felt foolish. Instincts pushed for him to run or stay silent. Surprise creeped into Ian’s expression and the hand he was on was moved again. It tilted and he slid off onto a soft surface. Far too quickly Ian’s face appeared in front of him. Others of his kind never felt this quick… or deadly.

“This is probably better right?” Ian sounded nervous. “I mean I grabbed you and I hate that so you probably hate it too. Sorry, I just got excited. I thought… I kept thinking you were going to just be gone once your whole research and approach humans thing was done.”

“That has never been my intention,” Mikhail said. It was easier to speak while free from Ian’s hands. “Although we will need to designate a way to deal with…”

“Deal with what?”

Mikhail was actually hopeful he was wrong. That perhaps he misunderstood what Ian meant. Perhaps the ‘real thing’ wasn’t an animal, but the source of the toy. With that hope he managed to face the eyes that seemed to follow every one of his movements. Ian stood, looming perhaps by mistake. Mikhail gathered all of his courage, his antennae hurt as they quivered. “To deal with the fact that you, or rather humans, are… predators.”

Ian stepped back, the distance allowed Mikhail’s heart to reach a somewhat normal pace once more. Ian’s eyes were locked on him, but they didn’t look like a predator’s this time. They looked hurt. Scared even. Ian turned away, pulling out the human device he called a phone. After a few seconds his brother let out a deep sigh.

“I just wanted to fact check my memories first sorry,” Ian mumbled. “Humans are considered apex predators so…” Another sigh, another step away from Mikhail. “So I guess yeah we are predators, but we’re also omnivores. Plants and animals, lots of things work as food for us. Is it… are the animals dangerous to you?”

Mikhail waited for the fear to overcome him again. For his body to freeze and heart to slow enough he wasn’t sure he still lived. Instead he felt calmed by the answer. The knowledge he was correct somehow brought him peace. Of course Ian’s reaction to step away was helping as well. He took this chance to attempt an increase in his size.

He focused on forcing his bones to unfold. His skin to stretch. Yet nothing changed. He remained palm sized. Mikhail’s antennae tugged to separate, this time painfully enough he winced. He felt before he saw Ian’s step closer. The shudder as he lunged to reach him. A human looming over him…

“Mik,” Ian whispered, Mikhail watched his brother’s eyes squint. “Your antennae are tangled. Can I try to help?”

Mikhail didn’t move. Didn’t have words to say. The fear that overtook him at the festival reappeared from the shadow cast over him. Numbly he nodded, too fearful of what a refusal could cause. Fingers with claws that easily broke his skin came close. He prepared for the worst, the inevitable pain and suffering of those claws breaking his skin.

Mikhail wanted to shut his eyes, but forced himself to stare at his brother’s face. To see what would happen if a human smelled his blood while he was vulnerable. Focus on the ways he could use this new perspective. Try to forget the danger he was in, the danger he knew he should try to escape. If only he’d left any of the precautions for his kind on in the ship, rather than turn them off to prevent issues for Ian.

“Hold still, let me know if it hurts,” Ian said. 

The breath that washed over him made following instructions easy. Mikhail felt as the massive digits made contact with his antennae. Waited for the pain. And waited. And waited. And waited. Instead of pain he felt relief as the knot his antennae had become disappeared. The warmth beneath the strange leathery skin proceeded to soothe the aches their reactions caused.

Silence settled between them. One that was almost comfortable as Ian worked. Mikhail’s focus on the human face above him remained steady. The entire time he saw the black parts of Ian’s eyes as pinpricks. He even noticed a subtle shaking of the brown orb that sat within the white part of the eye. It was strange. Yet once again all of this managed to fill him with a sense of calm.

“That should do it,” Ian smiled. Mikhail found himself mimicking the expression. Relieved the knot had been handled and without a drop of his blood spilt. Yet that left many questions to answer. Questions that he had to pose before anything else happened.

“My species would be akin to prey,” Mikhail blurted it out. At the same time his antennae tried to twist back together, but pressure kept them apart. Ian’s eyes changed focus to his face now. Mikhail’s heart slowed to a rhythmic beat. “We… we are prey on our planet. I believe we would be prey here. We will need to account for your instincts moving for-”

“Wait, is that what made you act weird? My instincts?” Mikhail nodded. “Mik, humans aren’t driven like that. Sure I’ll look at a sound or follow a quick movement, but I’m not gonna- I don’t even know what you think I’m gonna do.”

“I do not understand…” 

Mikhail searched his memory on every species his kind had met and studied. Every single one had followed some level of instinct. His own grew in response to potential dangers, it was almost unheard of for someone to have control like himself. An avian species that had, more than once, carried off a member of his kind and nearly killed them. An aquatic species that, during feeding times, would chase anything small enough to be prey. Another that would change its colors to hide itself from predators or in reaction to perceived danger. Every recorded species had some instinct that they couldn’t physically ignore. At least not without something to purposely make it possible. Could humans truly be different?

“I mean, we have instincts sure. None of them are to go chasing something small. It’s more likely we’re going to slap at something we don’t expect touching us, or try to grab something we see moving when it shouldn’t and nothing we know of matches it. Well I guess the second one is kind of hunting, but still. Humans don’t do that, we probably evolved out of that cause of all the other animals that act that way.”

“There are more predators than humans?”

“Yeah, humans are special cause of communities and tool building… I think. I’ll admit I never paid much attention in those classes, but I mean a bear would still kill me. Technically a cow could too.”

The knowledge he’d gained had only made his fear worse. Part of the idea was for his kind and humans to freely travel to each other's planets. Many precautions were in place on each his kind currently visited. How could humans be safe? Perhaps marking humans as too dangerous would be the correct option, but that would mean Ian wouldn’t be able to leave with him. The mere idea of that caused a whine to escape his chest again.

“Mik,” Ian had crouched again. They were as close to eye to eye as possible. “Humans are weird. I don’t really get what you expect out of me or humans in general, but we’re brothers right? I’m not gonna hurt you or let anyone hurt you. Especially another human.”

Mikhail stared at Ian for a long time. He considered the words he’d been told. This planet posed a threat that he needed to study. Ian posed threats he couldn’t imagine. Yet the same claws that pierced his skin easily had managed to untangle his antennae without a scratch. Mikhail’s physical reaction to his fear had already dulled near Ian. It was something to study later, when both of them were comfortable.

“I think I will need to do more research on humans and the other creatures of this planet when I am capable of growing,” Mikhail said. Ian’s eyes widened.

“Right… so what now? Do you want me to take you somewhere? I can leave too. I mean I’ve been freaking you out right?” Ian offered. The offer sounded appealing at first, but the consideration of other predators, not just humans, managing to find him gave Mikhail pause. Plus the proximity of his brother had stayed calming even after hearing the truth of his worries.

“I… would prefer to stay near you if that is alright.”

“Sure, like this or something else?”

“I am… unsure when I will begin to grow again, perhaps not on the desk.”

“Right, right”

Ian’s hand landed palm up in front of him. Mikhail felt the steady beat of his heart as he walked towards it. Clawed digits curled up as he sat in the center. Ian pulled his hand up, slower than Mikhail expected after the prior experiences. Panic did explain those actions. Ian moved stiffly across the room and set his hand down on the bed. Mikhail climbed off, unsure what was coming next.

“This should work,” Ian said. He sat down on the floor in front of the bed leaving Mikhail on the currently massive surface. “This way I can wake you up if you start to get bigger and no worries I might hurt you right?”

“Yes… yes this should be fine.” Mikhail’s antennae stood up straight, a rare emotion had reached him. A mixture of happiness, calm, and the feeling of safety. “Thank you, Ian.”

“No problem, just get some rest and we can figure out the whole predator prey thing you started to worry about.”

Mikhail quickly made himself comfortable. He made sure his eyes faced Ian. Where he could see the massive predator that chose to protect a prey rather than toy with or hurt it. He truly hoped humans were different from the other species. With that thought Mikhail closed his eyes and allowed the fear fueled energy to disperse where he could sleep.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ian waited until he felt sure Mik was asleep to move. He turned to look at Mik, still small enough to fit in his palm. He’d never thought something like a food chain could cause so much trouble. He had to find a way to help fix this, he didn’t want to lose another family. 

He slid away from the bed to grab a tablet with a network connection he bought after Mik gave him some money. He moved back silently and waited to see if Mik stirred. Once convinced it was fine, he got comfortable and started to look up some self defense classes. Those would at least be a start.

[awkwardgtace]

Do you know who wrote that one story, about the giant alien and the human being stuck, then they got sent out to buy a book and thought bad things would happen when they came back without it...I can't remember who wrote it but I'm pretty sure I read it here bc it was reblogged by you?

hey anon! At the risk of being conceited I think you might mean my own story!

It's Ian and Mikhail in the alien size shifters au

Adjustment Period

If not I don't know if I've done any other alien stuff or reblogged any.

(Also for those curious I'm still working on a story and it is actually another part of alien size shifters. It's close to done and i'm finally getting some freedom to really sit and write again)

[awkwardgtace]

Ooooo idea:

The rumors of the dreams that connect borrowers to their loved one is still true but they mistranslated it into thinking it’s only romantic love - it could be familial and friendial (?) love! So Ian and Mik could have one since they secretly are yearning for a brotherly connection so magic poofs them a landline to each other

ok i got distracted again by other things lol. Time to respond!! Honestly this sounds like a really good idea. I have some ideas for again maybe why they're different. Since I did plan for it to include QPR and other relationships (Caprice in Melody and Kyrie's dreaming of soul mates story doesn't have one cause currently I don't have anything for him planned like that. Of course if I change then he'll change too.)

Imma do a little dump of my current lore considerations so I'll actually put it under a readmore this time :D

So this actually started something for me that I'd already considered.

I was thinking sort of about kids in this au and how since it's not always common for borrowers to be able to meet how they survive. Plus the pain and phantom feelings left behind from the dreams.

My thoughts on this became well... they can have kids. The dream is a special space that's almost physical. Just enough that it's harder, but two people capable of it can wind up having one get pregnant. It's just rare enough borrowers don't talk about it. Usually there's such a push to 'keep borrowers alive' perfect partners than can have kids will seek each other out.

So going with this let's just sayyyy Mikhail's father was a borrower, his mother a human. Father is aware the mother is human, doesn't care. Has been planning to go find her. She isn't completely sure these dreams are real, but she loves the man she met in them...

Then she's pregnant. Father finally says where he is, things are rough when she realizes the dreams are real and he fits in her hand. Terrified about their own child. Considers all the options together they decide to make this work.

Mikhail is born human size. His mother's sister is the only one aware, only other human that has met Mikhail's father. During the first night Mikhail is home after being born. He shrinks down to the size of a borrower baby. They realize the risks involved.

Same kind of background to his usual size shifter universe. Something goes wrong his parents die in a fire, as best he can remember he thinks his size shifting is how they died. (fun fact in both it isn't his fault at all. They nearly survived because of him, but his energy ran out and they protected his borrower sized body at the end cause their son)

So all of this to say, what happens to a half borrower that should have these dreams? Well... they don't function entirely the same. Now it connects to more bonds than it's supposed to. Not unheard of. Those borrowers Kaya learned about in the first story that used stairs to avoid climbing had dreams like that. The side effect of being half human; a sturdier body and heavier build. More effort to climb that copying human stairs made more sense.

All of this now comes to where Mikhail should have the dreams. Of course his aunt knows about them, but Mikhail hasn't shown interest in anyone his whole life so she doesn't think to bring it up. Suddenly he's having conversations in his dreams with someone who has some similar experiences. The longer they talk the more he feels a bond... feels this new person is almost like a brother.

All until a borrower that he'd known was in his house gets stuck and there he finds the brother he dreamed up. The one he thought was a pure figment of his imagination. Only there's Ian scared and begging for his life from the evil 'human'.

ok I went off but you gave me ideas and lemme talk about something I was already playing with. Even sorta hinted at with the borrowers that aren't built as light as Mira and Kaya :D

[awkwardgtace]

For the battery ask game, my phones at 86% and oc is up to u :3

work was super busy so i'm finally getting to answer this ask! ask list is here

86%. What is your characters educational background if they have one? Did they choose to go to college/university after graduation? What is their major?

sooo most of my characters in their default aus have pretty much no education lol. I will give you an answer from a few that do have it in their original stories Mikhail: He went to private school until he started living with his aunt, it was public school after that. He went to a prestigious college (good grades cause he didn't like going out because of his shifting) and got two degrees in anthropology and folklore. He is incredibly respected in his field enough that he's managed to keep any research into the tiny people mythos to a minimum

Melody: She went to public school her whole life and went to an in state college for Computer Science. Originally she was going to drop out, but then her siren blood kicked in so it was a good back up for a career.

Corus: He went to private schools most of his life, but a public high school. He went to college because his parents pushed for it and wound up majoring in cyber security. He's now a network engineer who gets to work from home most of the time, but now and then he has to go into the office

[awkwardgtace]

Oops I missed that the ask game was for oc 😳

Also 5 and 19 for Sola, Mikhail, and Ian please 😁

you're all good. I mean I am sort of my own OC. So it's valid lol. If anyone else wants to ask me or my oc things, I may not be as honest as the OCs but i'll answer Ask Game

5. Do you have any role models? Tell us a little bit about them.

Goddess Sola: Makes a face trying to remember what that means. Gets excited once the memory comes back. "The little cloud and Alessia are my role models. They both know so much about mortals! They also do a lot of good things. Alessia protects people and the little cloud is always using her powers for others. I want to do that stuff too! Although I usually scare mortals badly, Delphia said I should only meet them if she's around after the last time..."

Human Sola: Looks around so no one is nearby. "I want to be like my mom! She's so pretty and strong. Also takes care of everyone even if they're bigger or smaller than her. I'll be just like her when I grow up! I'll wear pretty long dresses too!"

Every Ian: Fidgets with his hands nervous to be answering anything about himself. Thinks about the question and the people he's met in his life. "...Mik. He stands up for his beliefs and doesn't care if people hate him for it. Even if he couldn't be huge he'd face down anything. I want to be confident and strong like that. Have something I believe in enough to chase after it like he does too."

Streamer AU Ian: Hugs himself as he thinks a little harder. Mik is one, but he does have another role model too. "Mira too. She's been trying really hard to move forward after what she went through. Hearing how bad it was gave me nightmares and she still tries so hard. I want that strength to move forward like her."

Shifter/Giant/human Mikhail: Folds his arms across his chest eventually rubbing his chin. He lets out a sigh before settling on an answer. "I'd suppose my aunt if I have to pick one. The woman can be ferocious and doesn't let anyone abuse their size or power. Although she can be a bit too intense at times. That part I definitely don't envy. She doesn't hesitate to stand up for what's right, doesn't let her thoughts stop her. I need to be more like that."

Alien Mikhail: Has had Ian explain what that terminology means and still barely gets it. Thinks hard about it for long enough it seems like he won't answer. "It would be my teacher that aided me in becoming one of the planet seekers. They had been one for many years and brought many species into our group. I hope to leave a record like them after me."

19. Describe an average day in your life.

Goddess Sola: Excitedly bouncing on her feet and desperately wanting to take the chance to drag you along with her. "I usually go watch the clouds and draw pictures in them! Sometimes I grab one of the others to come with me. Then I go to the mortal realm and make sure the light isn't overwhelming and the clouds have become fun shapes when they aren't bringing a storm. Ash says I hurt storms when I shape those clouds so I had to stop. Sometimes I stop and watch mortals too, they do so many interesting things." She starts to ramble about games she's seen mortal children play. Describing things like tag and hide and seek. The point of the question was lost on her as she just excitedly talks about the things she sees.

Human Sola (Snake in the shed): Frowns as she thinks about it. "Mom and dad say I have to go to school even though the borrowers don't so I do that. Then I come home and play with Luna until mom finds out I didn't do my homework. Luna helps me with it and then we watch the movies he likes until bed time. Sometimes it's too hard for Luna so Ash or Rhys help me too. Oh and the days Felix or Ryder visit are the best! They play fun games and give me new toys.

Borrower Sola (Vamp Del AU): She smiles excited to tell someone all the things she does. Her parents and Delphia would yell at her if they knew. "I sneak around Del's room when she's sleeping during the day. I want to see if I can find anymore hidden things from the past us. Sometimes Vincent finds me and he makes me go back to bed. He's too quiet for being so big. Rhys reads me stories when Vincent finds me though, so I let him find me sometimes. At night the others make me and Luna practice borrowing. Just in case we have to leave here, but I don't wanna leave. I love Delphia and she lives forever so we're safe. I'm a better climber, but Luna is better at getting supplies. After that we play games with Delphia and sometimes she reads us books. They have a lot of weird sounding words, she says it's old English whatever that means. Then I fall asleep and Delphia or the others help me get to our bed."

Human Sola (mafia au): She's excited to meet someone new who wants to hear about her. She thinks hard, but her answer is pretty simple. "I have a human tutor that teaches me what I'd learn at school. Mom and Dad say school isn't safe for me, but that's fine. Then I spend time with Luna in Dad's office. Sometimes I go find my brothers or sister, but everyone else is always so busy. I hope one day I can be busy like them too. At night everyone comes to say hi, but it's too late for us to do much with them. The days they're home are the best. Those days are rare."

Borrower Ian: Sits near his house ready to bolt just in case. Stays incredibly nervous despite the promises he's safe. Giving up his routine is risky, but Mik said it was ok and to be honest and he trusts Mik. "I... I usually start by checking the entrances like Mik taught me. That they're still sealed properly and for any other borrowers who might need help. Then I try to get food, sometimes Mik left some out other times he hasn't woken up yet so I get it myself. The rest of the day I usually spend with Mik doing whatever he does. Sometimes I try to get better at making clothes with the fabric Mik gives me. Or watch the shows on the big screen that make me laugh. I-it's pretty normal for me, but other borrowers would think I'm crazy. I just like not being trapped somewhere all day anymore."

Human Ian (streamer au): Shrugs his shoulders, it's not exciting. He's kind of shocked someone wants to know. "I just play some games for my streams then usually hang out with Mik. Sometimes I sit in while he does his podcast recordings, help out with timings and sound board stuff. Then I teach him about some of the games I streamed. We just hang out, there's been a few times I just send him memes from my phone while sitting in his chest pocket. On some rarer occasions I go play games with Mira, Corus is there too. The guy is insanely good for someone so sleep deprived."

Human Ian (alien au): Hugs himself still trying to figure out what is even safe for him to do each day. "I wake up... eat the food I'm given. Then I just hang out unless Mik needs me. It's still pretty hard to be out around the alien, even worse when the guy walks around as a giant so much." Ian shudders. "Still better than being homeless in the woods. The alien tries too, I'll get used to him eventually... probably."

Shifter Mikhail: Frowns a bit since this is disrupting his average day. It's the middle of a semester and he has work to be doing. "I teach my classes at the university. Stay late for office hours in case a student needs me. Grade papers while there. Come home and often times become Ian's size to spend time with him. When I'm worn out he doesn't mind that I stay a human size and he sits on my chest while I read to unwind. I make a simple dinner that's easy for a borrower to eat without making a mess of themself and then go to sleep." Mikhail has made the active choice to avoid mentioning how annoyed the other professors make him. The times he shifts just enough his chair creaks from someone's annoying conversation topics. The aloof professor never gets to be left alone in peace and quiet while at the school.

Giant Mikhail (streamer au): Nods understanding the curiosity. He'd be curious too. Takes a few minutes to come up with an answer he hopes is good enough. His life is fairly boring outside of the time he helped Corus. "I work on the story of my horror podcast most mornings. Do research when it's time for the news episode. In the afternoon Ian comes by and usually causes some trouble until I put him in my pocket. Sometimes he actually helps. The entire time he's in my pocket he's sending memes to my phone making it vibrate and distract me." Mikhail has a soft smile on his face as he talks about the 'annoying' things Ian does. "Then we just hang out. I read books he plays games. Sometimes he shows me how to play one of his games. Some days I go see Delphia we usually get lunch or dinner. Now and then Corus joins us too."

Alien Mikhail: Thinks about how his routine would best be explained to humans. Frowns as he considers it might sound problematic, but has nothing better to explain himself. "A day for my kind is a bit longer. I usually spend it researching humans through the media I can now understand. I haven't been able to find a good explanation for some things. Like 'yeet' or why people miss vines. From my research nature still has plenty of them. I make meals for Ian and leave them for him to eat as he feels ready too. I try to mimic the lifestyle the humans in the media I've found use to make Ian feel comfortable. I'm not sure it has worked, but trial and error is my only option. I also spend a lot of time making things in the ship easier for him. I have been working on a surprise for a while, I found many humans do things like this and I hope it helps assuage his nerves. I'm sorry I've gotten off topic. Other than research, I write reports on my progress. Currently it's known I've met a human who has agreed to help me. After what I sent back so far many others are excited to learn more about humans, they are quite strange creatures. The blankets were something a lot of people have started to use on my planet." Mikhail seems to stare off, it's a little hard to tell with his eyes a solid color. It's clear he thinks he answered the question sufficiently, even with his bit of off topic additions.

[awkwardgtace]

Would Mikhail ever be open with letting other people into his life and reveal his size shifting and borrower son?

Mikhail and Ian are more brothers than father and son, but he'd be cautious of letting anyone in.

His family that has abilities (like his aunt) know what he can do, but they didn't treat him the best at his different sizes. A lot of grabbing when he was small, some cousins that were too forceful in making him play their games. As he got older he was at least able to hide that he got small. The family members weren't cruel, but definitely not something the young terrified kid needed.

He's more likely to trust borrowers than humans though. While he was growing up he and his aunt had to move if the wrong people found out about him. It wasn't often, but once was enough to show him what the wrong person could do to someone small.

On the other hand he's just personally uncomfortable with normal humans. He feels like it's easier to separate himself from borrowers if he feels himself losing control of his size. Plus they already see him as a monster humans don't.

Although it isn't impossible, if a human who he knew was kind to borrowers showed up he'd at least try to be friends with them.

[awkwardgtace]

Prompt 62??

ty anon. This reminded me of my alien au for Ian and Mikhail so they get a prompt this time! Prompt List

Meal times

Mikhail had been watching Ian closely. The small human was adapting to the ship without issue. Except for meals. It seemed as though two thirds of the meals were met with excitement. The last one was always ignored. Based on the understanding he gained once able to study the media of the planet humans ate roughly three times each day. He also found they tended to eat with others at least once a day.

It made him curious as Ian sat on the table refusing to eat. The first time it happened he assumed the prior meals were too much food. He adjusted the amounts slightly and assumed that would help. It seemed to make no change at all. Once Ian left to sleep Mikhail spent the night studying human media again.

He found a few stories of beings around his size hurting the small humans. It sickened him, hurting a being just because of their size. He made notes on things that were concerning and compared it to his own behavior. For the most part he seemed fine from what he could tell. Ian had mentioned his steps were loud, but that would need input to fix.

Mikhail found some signs to watch for the next time he ate with Ian. The goal was to find the issue and correct it. The one who would help him learn about humans and prepare contact should be comfortable. Not to mention Mikhail just wanted to make sure Ian felt like the ship was safe. After viewing human media it was easy to see Ian didn’t live what was considered a normal life. He wanted to help.

The next day he watched Ian eat. The first meal he seemed happy with the food. Mikhail noticed no hesitation in the human’s body language. He tried not to stare as he made his way around the ship. Ian seemed to avoid approaching him. As though there was danger if the two were close. He noted that behavior as something to consider for future interactions.

At the second meal Ian ate with less energy. He noticed glances sent his way. Mikhail tried to focus on his tablet instead of the human, but that didn’t change the energy level. He was developing theories at this point, most resulting in his presence as the problem. He started searching for the stories with beings his size again. Looking over what exactly happened, the traits they may share. It wasn’t easy to tell.

Finally Mikhail set down a meal for each of them. Ian was sitting at the far end of the table. Mikhail kept his eyes locked on the human. Ian seemed stiff, almost frozen this time. Rather than eating or picking at the food he just stared at it. Mikhail started to eat his own meal, noticing flinches from the human when he opened his mouth. It was clear the issue was truly his presence.

Ian tried to ignore Mik’s staring all day. The nightmare he had made it worse than normal. Those strange satin hands wrapped around him. The sharp teeth opening up in front of his face. He knew Mik wasn’t going to do that, at least he thought he knew that wouldn’t happen. Those solid eyes locked on him were making it hard to believe.

The sound of the chair moving made him jump. Mik was standing and walking, but his food wasn’t finished. Ian’s heart started racing. The steps made the table rumble as Mik came to loom over him. He tried not to shake as the shadow around him moved. Arms bigger than him were placed on the table in front of him. Mik slowly moved to rest his head on those arms. Ian could barely breathe.

“Ian,” Mik breathed. That part never needed the translator. He could always feel it rumble through him, like the bass of a song. “I guess you’re not comfortable with me eating around you.”

“Wh-what?” Ian gasped. He hadn’t expected that. Mostly he expected Mik not to notice and he’d just need to get better about it. He stared straight into the unreadable eyes trying to understand.

“I have noticed a difference in attitude towards meals when you and I eat together. I studied more human media and it seems there is a history of belief that someone of my size would be cruel to one of yours. I will eat separately after this meal so you no longer have trouble.”

Mik stood and started to walk away. Ian watched the massive alien return to his seat. There was a bit of time where Ian thought it was a test, but Mik just ate his food quickly. He stared at his own plate, knowing that his struggle was noticed and mattered was new. He closed his eyes and just listened to everything around him. Finally he forced himself to eat while sitting there with Mik.

“No, it’s ok… I just have to get used to it,” he said. He watch Mik sit up in shock. Even the solid green of his eyes seemed to change. That not right smile of sharp teeth made him feel a bit happier with his choice. He’d just have to learn to handle it, just like the earth shaking steps and the bass of his voice rumbling through his body. The satin skin when Mik came near and the arrhythmic heartbeat when he was close to the alien’s chest. Everything about Mik was clearly not human, he wasn’t like giants in fairy tales. “You’re not like those stories anyway.”

[awkwardgtace]

Mutual Fears

Day 4 is size shifting so we finally get more of the brothers!!

Mutual Fears

Ian had been trying to adjust to life with Mik. Having nice furniture and seeing how careful his brother could be when huge definitely helped. He still had his nights of nightmares. A lot of times they had to do with what Mik could do. The most recent wasn’t any different. They’d been fine out borrowing when he changed suddenly and grew huge trapping him in a jar. He never knew how to talk about it with his brother, but it seemed like he wouldn’t get away with it this time.

“Ian,” Mik was knocking on the roof of his house. Having it on the nightstand seemed smart until tonight. “Are you alright? Did something break and you get hurt? Was it another nightmare?”

“I-I’m fine,” he called out. He heard his brother sigh and hoped that would be it. The knocking on the door of the house told him otherwise. He climbed out of bed and slowly made his way to the last defense he had. “R-really I’m fine, you don’t have to worry Mik.”

“I’m sorry to say the way you sound is telling me the opposite. Ian, please talk to me. It usually helps to discuss nightmares.”

Ian started to chew on his lip, but opened the door anyway. Mik was standing there still an inch or so taller. Ian couldn’t help wondering if his brother hated to be small like this. He didn’t do it unless Ian asked most of the time. It had to be annoying to be small like him. He should just get used to his brother holding him in one hand.

Mik looked concerned, he was always concerned. He was just in pajama pants, the light shirt discarded due to the heat in the house itself. He kept it warmer than needed for Ian. He stepped into the house, but Ian backed up. He saw the way Mik tensed, but he couldn’t just pretend he wasn’t worried about it.

“You don’t have to get my size to talk if you don’t want to,” Ian whispered. Mikhail sighed, he knew he should try to be small more often. Ian was probably thinking he hated it, he didn't, it just was harder at times. His emotions changed how much he could handle of certain sizes.

“Ian, I prefer to talk with you without towering if I can. Are you alright?” he asked. Ian was panicking as he spoke. The boy probably assumed it wasn’t noticeable, but his eyes were darting around and he was still hugging the blanket Mikhail had cut up for him. He stepped forward placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Do you want me to stay in here tonight?”

“No!” Ian backed away as though he’d been burned. Mikhail stared at his hand unsure what he’d done wrong. An awful possibility popped into his head and he stepped back on his own from his brother.

“Ian… was I in your nightmare?” He looked at Ian desperate for a no. Unfortunately, a small nod made him feel awful. “What did I do?”

“You um,” Ian was fiddling with the blanket. He sat on the ground trying to look smaller than he was. He couldn’t make himself any smaller. At least he never had been able to the few times he tried. “We were on a borrowing trip and you… you suddenly got really big and put me in a jar.”

Mik’s eyes widened and Ian wanted to disappear. It was just a nightmare. He knew Mik would never do that, but it wasn’t easy to forget everything. He held the blanket tighter, he wished he could hide under it for real now. It isn’t big enough anymore, even though the rest of the blanket was out in the house. He knew Mik would be mad at him for waking him up yelling over something impossible.

“I’ve had nightmares like that too,” Mik said. Ian nearly dropped the blanket while staring at him. It didn’t sound real. Mik could be big, he didn’t have to worry about that. “I’ve had dreams that I can’t get big again and someone finds me and traps me. That I couldn’t keep you out of someone’s grasp. I’ve even hidden from my Aunt for days because I thought she’d trap me when I got stuck small after first moving in with her.”

“But you said she’s nice. She kept you safe, why would you think that?” Ian asked. He stepped forward sitting down across from his brother. He thought he was alone having nightmares about something someone he knew would never do things like that.

“I know she’s safe, but it’s not easy to feel like someone so much bigger won’t hurt you. Can I help at all? Those kinds of nightmares aren’t easy to get over.” Ian shook his head. He didn’t have any idea how to fix the way he felt. He was terrified of it happening, but more terrified when they were both small. Someone could get them. 

“Can I sleep with you? Your heartbeat usually helps me sleep…”

Ian hadn’t planned to ask that. The words just slipped out as he wrapped himself with the blanket. He was about to backtrack, but Mik nodded and walked out of the house. He watched as his brother started to climb off the nightstand. He waited for the face he knew to grow over the edge and tower over him. Seeing Mik’s green eyes staring at him as he grew felt somehow safe. 

A hand came to rest in front of the door. Ian had a bit of hesitation, but still climbed onto the palm of his brother. It felt nice to have a hand that would keep him safe like this. He sat down as Mik brought his hand up to his chest. Mik cupped his hand close as he curled up on his bed. Herested on his side, letting Ian slide off his hand and onto the bed. Then he started to get smaller.

“What are you doing?” he asked. Mik kept getting smaller until he was only about twice the size of a borrower. 

“I thought this might be better tonight,” his brother said. Ian felt like crying, he never even thought of this as an option. Mik was the best family he could have found. He was so happy Mik found out about him and got him away from the bad human before.

“It helps… thanks Mik.”

“Anytime Ian.”

[awkwardgtace]

Could you do 31 with ian and Mikhail?

hey anon!! Ty for the ask and hope you like what I wrote up!! Prompt List

At Season's Change

Mikhail had been growing steadily more worried. Ian hadn’t been around the entire day. It wasn’t unusual, but with seasons changing it kept him nervous. Entrances for borrowers from the outside of the house meant an entrance for a number of dangers to them. He started to pace the house, hoping to find Ian just doing something somewhere he hadn’t looked. 

 As his nerves grew worse he started to shift just a few inches taller. Enough to get the changes that would help him find his brother if he was in danger. That didn’t help at all, instead telling him how long Ian hadn’t been in most of the house. The only place that Ian had been to recently was the room they shared.

“Ian,” he called out. Silence. He wasn’t getting anywhere like this and he wasn’t Ian’s keeper. His brother was enough of an adult to go off on his own. He couldn’t calm himself down as it was. “I’m going to the store for a few minutes! I’ll be back soon.”

Mikhail had no way to know Ian heard him. It was always better to assume it had carried than wait for an answer though. He knew from his own times at borrower size human voices carried more than anyone cared to consider. He didn’t like to think about the sleepless nights when he’d gone into the walls of one house or another. 

He put on his jacket, slipped on his gloves, and grabbed his keys as he took one last lap around the house. Still no sign of his brother, and no answer about him leaving. He formed a tight fist around his keys, he’d just check the walls when he got back. He wouldn’t even let Ian see him unless there was trouble. He took slow heavy steps back towards his front door.

Mikhail was trying not to consider that Ian had gotten scared again. He knew that his brother’s past made it hard to trust. He didn’t expect the fear of betrayal to disappear even when things seemed to go well. It just hurt to consider there were times Ian couldn’t even bring himself to leave a sign he was doing fine. Especially now.

He’d been strict in teaching Ian about the dangers during a season change. The things that look for ways into human homes grow and the danger gets worse. All the entrances should be sealed unless absolutely necessary until the weather settled. He had planned to go over sealing the entrances with Ian in a few days, but his nerves proved it would be as soon as his brother came out of hiding.

As soon as he pulled open the door he froze. Staring up at him, shivering, was his brother. He kept his movements slower than normal as he kneeled in front of him. Mikhail had a million things rush through his mind, but the clearly freezing Ian in front of him kept him quiet. 

“What…” he tried. Ian pulled the coat he had on from in front of his face. With the subtle shift he’d made he could see the blue on his brother's lips. His pale skin seemed to match the frigid wind.

“I-I-I wa-was s-sealing the entrances a-and got l-locked out,” Ian said through chattering teeth. Mikhail quickly brought his hands down, circling them around his brother. “I-I wa-wasn’t s-sure h-how to g-get back i-in.”

“We’ll need to make sure that can’t happen again.” He started to bring his hands closer, pausing to consider the gloves he wore. He pulled away and tore them off.

“I-I f-figured y-you’d g-go o-out th-this w-way e-eventually.” Mikhail carefully surrounded Ian with his fingers. He then put his other hand flat in front of his brother.

“Let’s go back inside.” Ian nodded and set his palms onto Mikhail’s. He flinched, knocking the borrower forward. “Geez, your skin is like ice!”

Ian didn’t respond. He climbed on quickly, grateful for the warmth. He curled up once he reached the center. Mik’s fingers covered him, blocking out the cold air. It was easy to relax like this. It only hit him more how tired he was. As his brother stood he started to doze off. The next thing he knew large fingers were poking at him, ones larger than a human’s. He groaned, rolling away to try and go back to sleep.

“Don’t go to sleep yet,” Mik’s deep voice shook him out of his stupor. He sleepily looked up at his brother, worry seeped from his eyes. ”Just in case, stay awake for a few hours. Until you warm up at least.”

“C-can we h-have hot ch-chocolate?” he whispered. Mik laughed and held him close to his thumping heart.

“Of course, I’ll make some now. Just keep talking so you stay awake.”

[awkwardgtace]

I dont know if you've done this already but have you drawn or made picrews/other programs with some of ur ocs? I've seen you describe them abit but I'm a bit curious to see how you actually imagine them to be

I haven't done a big post so I will use this ask to do one! I actually have descriptions for each character in a spreadsheet I've made to track all the info I have, I've made picrews, and I have two commissions done so far. This one for the mafia AU god squad and this one for when Corus and Mira met

Comm I got for streya <3

Comm of Delphia, Ash, and Alessia in Vampire AU

fanart of mira and corus

Below the read more is a description I have an at least one picrew I've made of each of my ocs! I made a lot of these a long time ago so I sadly don't have the links but I can def try to find ones if people want them!

Mira: pale skin with lavender hair and pink eyes. She has a natural red tint to her cheeks with a pink color for her lips. Her body is lean and muscular, reflecting the years of training she's had. In her streamer universe she has a lean form with slight muscle from casual workouts. When you first see her you wouldn't assume she's as tactful and agile as she is.

Kaya: black hair, brown eyes and brown skin. They have some freckles by their nose and mole under their left eye. While they usually share in some of Mira's training they retain a thin frame and appear petite at first glance. They look innocent at first, as if they have no understanding of darker sides to the world. In reality they have stared it in the face and continued with a smile

This heart one is an adorable comm from @graff-aganda gotten by @alarcomet

Ian: fair skin with blond hair and brown eyes. His face is covered in a dusting of freckles. He's a little shorter than average at first in his original universe. He has a lanky frame that some may even call scrawny at times. He looks younger than he is, giving an impression of early teens rather than close to an adult.

Delphia: pale white skin with emerald eyes that stand out against it. Her hair is a dark black, almost ebony. She's above average height in most universes with a thin frame. Generally she's pale to a concerning degree. Almost like you'd think she's dead if she held her breath. She appears innocent and naive by choice, if she changes to seem world weary it's best to listen Where it exists people might think she's a bit like snow white

Vincent: striking silver hair, usually tied back. He has one eye green like emeralds, the other purple like violets. Overall his features are striking, but the scars over his eyes stand out against his sepia brown skin. He's intimidating, usually holding a look of disdain or pointed disinterest. If he cares for you he will kill for you

Melody: around average height with pale skin and heavyset. She has long brown hair frequently put up in ponytails or braids. Glasses that hide the bags under her eyes and a bright red tint on her cheeks. She also has a single dimple mirrored by Caprice. She looks young and innocent as if the things she suffered never happened. Most often she wears jeans and dark colored t-shirts with a black hoodie

Caprice: fair pale skin with freckles, short brown hair, and brown eyes. He usually has an athletic build and a bit short for men. He doesn't need glasses and has a healthy look. He has a single dimple mirrored by Melody. He appears goofy and ignorant, a mask he wears that can fall away to someone who sees more than anyone would like.

Lilith: dark brown skin, red eyes, and naturally black hair. She likes to dye it purple. Overall she is adorable. There is always a possessiveness in her face if she likes you.

Corus: black hair long enough he can tie it in a small ponytail. He has blue eyes and tanned white skin. At first glance he looks tall with an average build at best, but he has a lot of muscle that you can't see. His way of dress hides the fact he's well built. It's a byproduct of ways he's tried to handle his anger issues through out the years. He looks like someone easy to take advantage of at first, but then his anger comes through and he's terrifying regardless of size.

Zeke: golden brown skin, green eyes, and red/orange hair. He looks welcoming and intelligent. Overall his build is a bit average but his arms reflect the manual labor his life usually requires. He's observant and quick to act. When it's viable he has glasses that help him see far away. Luckily he has no issues up close.

Mikhail: He has rich black skin, green eyes and long black hair. He has a lean frame that some would assume is from being consumed in his studies. Most of the time he needs glasses more specifically for reading. His size changing in his original universe does change his frame slightly. The bigger he grows the more imposing his build becomes and the opposite for smaller. He'd be bird like at Ian's size

Alessia: rosy white skin and a warm look to her face. She's chubby which hides the strength she's capable of. Her hair, which flows to the middle of her back, is the same color as the night sky and she has brown eyes that radiate kindness. Generally around average human height. Soft is a good way to describe her. As a goddess she is usually dressed in a golden suit of armor that still leaves her legs, arms, hands, and head free.

Rhys: sharp edges to his face, the tawny brown skin accented with salmon hair. His eyes change colors depending on mood, but he is most commonly seen with them at bright pink. He isn't too tall and has a stout form. When he's calm his features have him looking reliable. As a god he dresses for the times, frequently in the most common clothing styles of the era until more modern times.

Ash: appears intimidating. A sharp face with one green and one blue eye. Their brown hair is short almost shave. They have umber brown skin and, as a god, tend to wear something that looks like leather armor. It's more like a misviewed tunic. They are frequently considered to look like a warrior or soldier and mistaken for the god of war.

Vitus: ashen white skin and even whiter hair. His hair is a bit below his shoulders and usually tied back with enough left free to frame his face. He has striking emerald eyes and a stern gaze. He has an average build and appears normally to be around mid thirties to early forties in age. He's taller than most others. As a god he tends to wear a button up shirt and simple plain pants regardless of the era. As a human he has reading glasses.

Dabria: fair white skin that looks like she's spent a lot of time under the sun. She has ebony hair which seems to flow endlessly behind her and piercingly red eyes. Her round face almost always carries a small smile and radiates warmth. She has a chubby form and is happy to offer comfort to any who need it. As a goddess she tends to wear a simple black dress, as a human she wears darker colors and jeans unless it's more formal

Felix: a stocky build. He has golden eyes and short black hair that slightly frames his face. His skin is a warm beige. He looks judgemental and cold at first glance. His features give a calculating feeling. As a god he dresses ostentatiously, styles that mimic nobility or expensive styles of the era.

Sola: a soft tan to her white skin, something that makes her look to have spent long days out in the sun. Her hair is just a bit past her shoulders, a light blonde color with specks of blue and white. Her eyes like like the morning sky, bright yellow at the center for the sun. She dresses in bright colors and most often has her arms and legs uncovered. She appears childish like Luna. A round face, large eyes, and over all child like features. She is twins with Luna. She appears bright, outgoing, and loud, but tries to match those around her more than act freely.

Luna: pale skin that could remind you of moonlight. He has shoulder length hair that's black with specks of white like stars. As a god his eyes are almost mirrors of the night sky, but human leaves him with a deep blue. He dresses in dark colors that relate to the era. He looks childish, a round face, large eyes, and general child like features. He is twins with Sola. He appears shy and reserved, but just is soft spoken.

Ryder: the build of a soldier. He reflects his status as god of war in his stature. His eyes are silver and, as a god, his pupils are shaped like swords. He has a surprisingly kind look most of the time. His face is scared despite never being in battle, he also has some scars along his arms and torso. He has long black hair that reaches down his back and he tends to leave as is. He tries to appear ready to fight in any universe he's in despite his lack of actual experience and general reasons to fight.

Kyrie: warm beige skin and a chubby build. His hair and fins are black at first. Both will change later to mimic colors of the deep sea to aid in hiding from humans. His eyes are the same color as the deep sea giving him the best sight of the merfolk under water. His hair is long and reachs almost to his tail. He opts not to do anything to it much like Pelago. He can look intimidating when he smiles, large fangs poking out. He is technically not full grown until some time after he meets Melody and grows significantly from the size he'd been until then.

Pelago: slender with dark brown skin. She has scars over her face from years of abuse due to the colors of her scales. She has blond hair the is half the length of her body. Her scales are a bright white and define her as an oceanid. Her eyes match the colors of her scales and fins as white as well. She still holds a kind smile despite the way she's been treated in the past. Pelago looks the most human when she smiles, her smaller size leaving her no need for large fangs.

Byssal: fair white skin and a stout build. He has used his size to keep Pelago safe and appears intimidating. His hair is green and usually braided. When loose his hair is almost longer than Pelago He has green scales, fins, and eyes. He has some scales along his skin unlike Pelago. Byssal frequently wears a scowl and bares his fangs at anyone who isn't Kyrie or Pelago (later that grows to Melody and Caprice)

Streya: skin the same color of space, she'd disappear into the darkness without the stars. She wears a gown that looks like endless stars. Her eyes are a solid dull purple when she's not matching a planet, they change to match the planet she's mimicking. Her hair is long reaching down into the endless space like her gown. It's a base shade of black with glowing blue on the top and the tips. On the right side of her head her hair is a lighter blue. There's a hint of purple all throughout it. She has a plump form. She has a round face that almost always has a look of awe or curiosity

Meg: skin is pale and she wears simple earrings. Her hair is a light brown that falls just below her shoulders. She has brown eyes. She has a dusting of freckles on her face, she wears simple glasses. She has a thin frame with a round face. She dresses casually, a warm jacket with simple things. A necklace with a star on it and tends to have jackets with patches or pins for lgbt

[awkwardgtace]

First Contact

day 27 communication. Tbh this is not big on the gt yet. It's a bit of a starter for an au i was working on before it. so more Mikhail and Ian

First Contact

Mikhail ran through his list one last time. He had the disguise set to look like the most populous and seemingly intelligent species. If they were intelligent he had to try and befriend one to bring them back and make a translator. From the preliminary scans there were multiple languages, but a translator for at least one would help. Of course he’d need to also make one for the one he befriends, he can’t make himself speak the languages that easily. He hoped they were actually intelligent this time, the last time was informative yet disappointing.

He put the list down and set his ship to land in an area that seemed mostly ignored. For the last few cycles of the planet he observed the bipedal species avoided the dense area of vegetation. It would be the best for him, it also appeared to be full of large vegetation that matched his maximum height. He could only assume this species was similar to his own or they had need of such large vegetation. As the ship started on its course, he stepped into the machine to set up his disguise. Hopefully this is as simple as it appears.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ian wasn’t happy with how things turned out, but it was better than nothing. He had just enough money for a tent and some supplies and no one would show up out here. He just needed to get himself calm enough to handle crowds of people again. Then he’d go find a better place to live, or maybe a job at least. He wanted to pretend it was easy, but he knew from his parents it wouldn’t be. His life wasn’t easy while they were alive either. 

He read over the note from the last person who seemed to care. A promise that they’ll help him and in the worst case he can come by to get cleaned up before interviews. It was the best they could do once he turned eighteen. He sighed, crawling into the tent and laying on the ground. It was kind of comfortable at least. He just wanted to figure everything out before trying to be around people again. He’s too nervous to say much once he sees someone’s eyes just staring at him.

“It would be nice if this helps,” he said. He just couldn’t handle loud voices or sudden touch, it had made the place he’d been staying before hard enough. He heard the sound of something rustling nearby and jumped up. “Who’s there?!”

He grabbed a bat he thought would be a good defense as he slipped out of the tent. He looked around for the signs of where the rustling had come from. He was probably overreacting to a wild animal coming to investigate. He didn’t move until the rustling sounded again and he took a step closer. He jumped back as the rustling continued and he saw something coming out.

He held the bat up as a person walked into his campsite and just looked around. He tried to talk, but he couldn’t get the words out as those green eyes locked onto his own blue. He tried to hold his ground as the strange person tilted their head and came closer. If he looked intimidating enough they’d leave and he’d be fine. He tried to scowl and ready the bat, but the strange person just looked at it without concern.

The stranger spoke and it wasn’t any language Ian ever heard. He immediately felt like an idiot. This was probably just a lost tourist who wanted to see the ‘tallest forest in the state’. Ian lowered the bat and just pointed in the direction of town. That should be enough for them to leave and he could go back to his brooding. He probably shouldn’t be happy to call it brooding, but that is what he was doing. The stranger looked behind them then just pointed like he was in the opposite direction.

“What?” he asked. The stranger nodded at his voice which made no sense. Then stepped closer, he widened his eyes. The stranger walked closer again and Ian stiffened. 

“Do you live here?” the stranger spoke again.

“Look, the town is that way, have fun.” He pointed in the direction a few times and decided to turn away. It would probably be faster to not have to deal with this creep if he ignored them. He felt a hand grabbing his arm and swung out without thinking. The stranger grabbed the bat as it came around like it was nothing. “...what the fuck?”

“Do you not have contact like this here?”

Ian pulled his arm from the grip of the stranger and backed away again. The stranger stopped any approach just sitting down in front of him. This was weird, he didn’t know how to treat this guy. He wanted to leave, but his tent was already set up and that would mean no shelter. The stranger stared at him with a tilted head and he sighed again. He decided to sit down across from the weird person, he still had his bat at least. The stranger started to make a weird noise. He wanted to know what language this was, it definitely wasn’t from any language he heard growing.

“Mikhail,” the stranger said. Ian wasn’t getting much out of it, mik at best. He looked at the person quizzically. This time they pressed their hands to their chest. “Mikhail.”

“Are you telling me your name?” he asked. The stranger just looked at him with wide eyes. He pointed at the stranger and decided he’d give it a shot. “Mik?”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikhail wasn’t sure what this species was saying. They could speak which was good, but seemed almost hostile. He decided to try placating them, but it backfired quickly. This species must not view touch as his own does. He decided to try getting his name across. The species seemed to garner half of it. That was a start he nodded as they repeated the first half of his name.

“Yes, I’m Mikhail,” Mikhail said, pressing his hands to his chest. He tried to emphasize his name, but the facial expression seemed similar to the confusion shown by his own kind. He pointed to the other person. “You are?”

“Mik,” they said and pointed at him again. They got that much, but he wanted their name. They pressed their hand to their chest and gave him an almost fearful look. “Ian.”

The native species repeated the combination a few times pointing back and forth. It seemed the ways of speech weren’t too varied between their species, although his own had some extra sounds is the best he could guess. He needed to befriend this one and bring them back so he could make translators for at least the two of them. Then they could communicate and he could make real progress. He didn’t like that someone who appeared to be young of the species was living out here while there were normal dwellings close by, either. 

“Ian,” he finally mimicked while pointing at the native species. They nodded and Mikhail chose to repeat the actions they’d done, pointing at himself. “Mik.” Then back to the other, “Ian.”

“Cool we know each other’s names, that doesn’t do shit.” The human started to roll the object he’d waved before in their hands. It was a strange greeting if that’s what it was, although Mikhail had a feeling it was a fear response. He didn’t quite know how to befriend them. There was clearly a higher level of thought, food isn’t how to do it. Mikhail pulled out his local computer to see what he could find. This brought the other’s attention back to him. “Is that some weird knock off tablet or something?”

Mikhail sighed, this lack of understanding was not going to get better. He took some notes on the general form of the species now that he was in person. They are significantly smaller than most of his own which would make learning anything hard without communication. He listened as the being seemed to mumble to themself, there had to be more similarities in their language. He was catching bits of sounds that didn’t make sense to him. Half of the words sounded fake or made up, but that wasn’t how he should view other languages he knew better. He had to be wrong about the way it sounded, maybe they had sounds that didn’t exist for him. What kind of word was fuck, there had to be something more to it. This language was clearly more difficult than he thought.

The being finally chose to sit as well and just watched him. He wasn’t sure what to do so he stared back. This didn’t appear to be the right response as the other turned away rather quickly. It followed with a look that he hoped wasn’t threatening. The other stood again, grabbing the stick thing that they’d tried to attack with. He took a calm breath, even at this size it can’t hurt him much. The other just moved the stick into the cloth that had been set up near one of the local flora. It wasn’t a common setting looking around, this had to be something the other brought here.

The other sat again, he should be using their name. Ian sat again. It was nice to know their species seemed to have similar names, at least from what could be understood. Ian seemed to play with their hands, it made him curious. He watched the actions closely, unable to find a meaning in the seemingly endless movement. He wanted to try saying something again, but single words weren’t going to make any progress. He started to search the history of meetings with other species. At least one had to have something that could be a display of peace here too.

“So you’re just going to watch me all day?” Ian asked. At least, he thought it was a question there was a curious lilt. He noted that despite being obviously pointless they chose to continue attempting communication. “Well if you’re a murderer I don’t have a ton of options, you’d probably just catch me as I ran back to town. If you’re not you’ll probably leave anyway… Where are you from anyway?”

Mikhail tilted his head, that was a lot of speech. There wasn’t anything he could even grasp although the tone seemed resigned. He almost wanted to do what some of the teachers used to suggest and just grab the smaller species. It would make getting translators easier, but they’d already decided that hurts attempts to form relationships. He shivered at the idea of how he’d seem to Ian. He had been this size many times on his home planet, but he knew the people around him were safe.

“Are you cold?” Ian said. Mikhail noted a change in their face now. He didn’t recognize that facial expression, but the tone sounded possibly kind. “I guess you are dressed pretty lightly…”

“Why do you keep speaking?” Mikhail found himself asking. He knew how foolish it was, but maybe there was something that this species could communicate in just the sounds. Ian made another face then sighed. They stood and walked into the fabric against the flora. It did look to be a decent enough shelter, that could be its purpose. When Ian returned they had a new bit of fabric that they threw at him.

“There, I bought some extras. I have no clue if you get any of this but it should help.” Mikhail studied Ian for a moment before looking at the fabric that had landed in his lap. He lifted it and the fabric appeared to be just a long piece. He wasn’t sure what the purpose was, a peace offering perhaps. Ian watched him before going in and out, returning with a fabric piece that looked less nice. “Blanket. Blanket…”

Mikhail played with the large fabric. It could be a warning, the species could potentially get larger. That would make things easier, showing a similar ability would be a potential camaraderie. Ian instead continued the word multiple times and then wrapped the cloth around themself. Mikhail’s eyes widened and he mimicked the form. It felt nice, they didn’t do this with fabrics on his planet. They could much more easily regulate temperature with size changes and their technology. This didn’t seem like a bad idea though, he liked it.

He sat there taking in the habits of Ian until the star of this planet began to set. It bothered him that he wouldn’t be able to observe any habits that occur without light. He slowly climbed to his feet, ignoring the tell tale tight feeling of his time running out. He stretched, mimicking ones he noticed Ian do a few times in the period he was observing them. He then gathered the fabric and held it out to return it. The experience was nice, he’d need to suggest using fabric this way at home. Ian looked at him oddly.

“Dude, I don’t want it back,” Ian said. Mikhail frowned, the speaking regardless of understanding still felt odd. He offered the fabric again, but Ian just pushed his hand away. “Keep it.”

“Do I need to speak for you to be willing to retrieve your fabric?” he asked. Ian sighed before standing and pointing at the fabric they’d let fall to the ground.

“Ian’s.” Mikhail nodded, they had discussed names although he didn’t think the fabric shared the other’s name. Ian then grabbed the fabric around Mikhail’s hand and pushed it towards him. “Mik’s.”

Mikhail widened his eyes. The fabric was meant to be a gift? Mikhail pulled the fabric closer again and examined it. That wasn’t expected, he wished he could ask what gifts meant for their species. Mikhail nodded and Ian seemed happy sitting down and continuing to make odd shapes on what he assumed were disposable writing platforms. Mikhail carefully folded the fabric back to the odd square it was when he’d received it. He proceeded to start his return to his spot to figure out his leaving procedures. He didn’t want to offend Ian.

“I hope that attempt means you’re leaving so bye I guess,” Ian spoke up. 

Mikhail tilted his head as he watched them move their hand back and forth. Mikhail had to remember that was the leaving procedure and add a note to planet customs. He lifted his arm and mimicked the movement, getting a curious glance from Ian. He still took this as the proper way to leave and started on his way back to his ship. It would be best to note everything more clearly once he was at his more comfortable size. That stretching almost made him break his disguise there. He’d need to be careful next time.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ian waited about ten minutes after the weird guy left to climb in his tent. He sat hugging the bat and waiting for the footsteps to come back. He didn’t even know when he fell asleep, but it wasn’t restful. As he opened his eyes he started to feel shocked he was even alive. He was convinced that guy was going to be some weird serial killer hiding out in the woods. Although he might seem that way too.

He stretched and slipped out of the tent relieved to find himself alone. He liked being alone, he could get things done that way. He started up his small fire and got to making a quick breakfast, he’d need to get a job at some point. He just managed to make some crappy oatmeal, but it was a meal. He had to come up with a better plan at this point. He almost wanted Mik to show up again just to not have to deal with his own thoughts.

“I guess I’ll just get to studying for now,” he sighed. He pulled out a book from the tent and just started working through the problems in it. He jumped when he heard rustling again and glared at the sound. He waited for only a few seconds before more sounded. “Mik?”

When the tall stranger popped out of the bushes he was relieved. He was expecting the other to be covered in blood or showing up with some weird mystery meat. Instead Mik just slipped out of the bushes and gave him a decent bit of space as they returned to the spot they used yesterday. They still had the blanket with them, at least they seemed to like it. He sighed again, maybe company wasn’t the best idea.

“Are you still going to be confusing today?” he asked. Mik just tilted their head, he should have known that would happen.

Ian resigned himself to the workbooks again. He could barely hear the tapping of nails against the screen of Mik’s tablet thing. It didn’t look like one he’d ever seen before. He tried to ignore the curiosity gnawing at him. He almost wanted to go to the library and try looking up different languages to see what Mik spoke. He shivered at the idea of the crowd, he could just get up earlier tomorrow. He didn’t know how long he continued in silence before something was thrown at him.

He leaned back in time for it to hit his chest, glaring up at Mik. He found hopeful eyes staring back at him. He looked at what had been thrown at him and it looked like a small blue box. He picked it up slowly, waiting for the response that revealed this was a trick. Mik just kept watching as he picked the object up. Once he opened it he was even more confused. It was a really small blanket or maybe a small towel. He pulled it out and the thing almost exploded.

He fell back as the tight folding came undone. He felt it start to settle on him, much heavier than anything he’d felt before and panicked. Is this how the creep would kill him? A weird weighted blanket attack? Before he lost his mind completely the fabric was pulled off him and he stayed laying their panting. The stranger’s face hovered over him and he felt betrayed by the worry, this guy was supposed to be a psycho killer. He sat up slowly, barely registering the feeling of hands guiding him. He didn’t hate it as much today for some reason.

“Ian’s,” Mik said. Ian looked at him confused before noticing the strange square had unfolded into a much nicer tent. He climbed to his feet slowly and approached the structure. He cast another glance back at Mik, the smile almost blinding. “Ian’s!”

“Did you make this for me?” he asked. 

Of course the stranger didn’t understand or answer, but he was caring less. He approached the weird tent and felt the now solid plastic. He gave a hard push and it didn’t move. If Mik had just left him under it he actually would have died. He looked back at the strange person, a new feeling hitting him. He was actually thankful, most other people in his life probably would have left him to suffer for his mistake. Mik came closer and touched the plastic a bit away from Ian, the door he hadn’t noticed opening to his touch.

“Ian’s?” Mik asked, tilting his head.

He took a deep breath before nodding and walking into the weird plastic. The place was like a small home more than just a tent. There was a bed with no blanket, so a little weird, and what looked like a weird stove. He just sort of stumbled around the area that seemed too big before Mik walked around, they waited for Ian to approach before doing certain things. First they seemed to show how to make the heat work, Ian’s guess on a weird stove was right. It would make food a lot easier. Mik reached for his hand, pulling back quickly, no one else usually tried to respect his distaste for touch.

Mik settled for taking steps then turning to stare at him. He followed like he assumed they wanted and found another room. This thing was in a box that was able to fit in his hand. This was some weird hyper advanced tech. This room looked like a bathroom at least so it would be easy to use, and make life out here easier. This didn’t make sense. He turned to look at Mik who was excitedly playing with different things to show off how they work.

“Why? What do you get showing me your weird tech? Are you planning to blackmail me or trap me or something?” he asked. Mik just tilted their head again, their silence was becoming uncomfortable. “Fuck, are you even human?”

Mik didn’t answer and Ian didn’t know if he wanted him too. He just offered his hand, a  handshake was the least he could do. Mik stared at his hand for a few seconds before slowly reaching out. They didn’t grab it quite right and their skin felt weird. Neither part was bad, but that unanswered question bounced through his mind again. This guy could potentially be something that isn’t human, but what that was Ian was more lost on.

He chose to ignore that feeling, going back to his work inside the weird tent this time. Mik didn’t enter, just sat outside. Ian felt kind of awkward, eventually grabbing the stranger’s shoulder and dragging them inside. Mik looked almost like they were doing something wrong when Ian did this, but he wasn’t going to have the guy sit outside for no reason. They actually passed a few days like this.

Ian was starting to look forward to Mik’s arrival each morning. Even though he wasn’t making any progress on the language he was having fun. Mik tried to understand, he noticed the subtle changes in their face each time. He felt more listened to than he had since he’d gotten into this mess. A crappy halfway house because he was too old to get placed with anyone and couldn’t handle the crowds of a shelter once he was eighteen. It was nice. He was kind of glad this weirdo was turning out not to be a murderer so far.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikhail had learned a lot from watching Ian. Their species likely used a lot of facial expressions which he tried to mimic. They definitely seemed young with how often they were scribbling away. He hadn’t learned much of the language from this though. He did notice that Ian kept saying something with a questioning tone and would go quiet for a while. He wanted to understand the question.

“Damn, I need to go to the library today,” he heard Ian mutter. He was on his way through the flora of the planet to the one he chose to befriend. As he walked through one of the smaller bits of flora they turned to face him. “For once I think I’m relieved you showed up. Want to come with me?”

Mikhail tilted his head, but Ian just sighed. They motioned to themself then towards the dwellings of more of their species. He took a moment to consider before he realized what was requested. Ian wanted him to go somewhere. So that would mean more interactions, he may have a chance to gather better data. He smiled and nodded his head at his companion.

Ian looked relieved as they pulled a strange object on their back. They took a few steps and turned back to look at him. He realized it was mimicry and found it amazing. Many other species he’d met had mimicry of some kind, but it didn’t occur as easily or quickly. He took his usual cautious steps after the other and followed them.

Ian brought him through the area filled with others of their species. The domiciles were all similar shapes and sizes. Another thing he found odd. On his planet there were buildings of all sizes. While naturally his species was much larger, there were many who eventually lived at much smaller options. It seemed the hope they may have similar abilities was being clearly destroyed.

It seemed odd how many of the others of Ian’s species avoided them. It was even clearer now that he saw more of them that Ian was young. It seemed like there should be some form of support for them. He made sure to note down that younger members of the species were not always supported long term. It would be imperative to know that once interactions began to increase.

Ian turned suddenly and Mikhail walked right into them. They were knocked over and he quickly reached out to try to help. His body was much denser at this size, they would need to study the impact of things like this in the future. Ian looked shocked as Mikhail pulled them back to their feet.

“No way you’re human,” Ian mumbled. Mikhail was growing more curious about that word.

Ian just pulled away and walked into the strange domicile. Mikhail followed, shocked by what he saw. The place was filled with shelves of objects he’d seen in studies before. They were called books if he remembered correctly. His species had moved past them a long time ago, keeping all information in a centralized network. He never thought he’d see something like this himself.

“Mik?” they asked. He jumped and looked down at them. They looked almost concerned, but he tried to copy one of the teeth baring faces they made. They gave one back before walking off.

Mikhail followed him to what appeared to be a primitive computer. He was curious how far advanced his technology was in comparison now. Ian spent time on the machine, Mikhail was more curious about the books. He grabbed one off the shelf, feeling how fragile it was in his grip. If books on his planet had been like this no wonder they decided to stop using them. He sat down with the book next to Ian.

“How can you hold that one handed? Those encyclopedias are heavy,” Ian muttered. “Strong weirdo or not human, definitely.”

Mikhail was starting to get annoyed at the word. He had a feeling it would manage to help them get closer. He’d maybe manage to make the translator if he knew this word. It was a few hours of time passing before he noticed Ian seemed to be watching him. He knew it would be cutting it close on time at this rate, but something told him to stick it out. Ian held something up to him.

“Talk into this,” they said. He tilted his head as had become the norm in Ian’s attempt to talk with him. They sighed and held the device in front of their face. “Do this, just a few words.”

They turned to the machine, hit some buttons then held the device out again. Mikhail nodded after a few seconds. 

“You want me to speak into this? Do you also have translators?” he asked. 

Ian made that teeth baring face again. They turned back to the machine and started to bounce. Mikhail leaned over to look at the machine. It wasn’t as if he could read anything on it. They leaned away a bit, but kept their eyes locked on the screen. Eventually the screen had something red pop up and Ian looked at him with a bit of fear. He tilted his head to try and show concern.

“You really aren’t human, are you?” Ian said. 

Their voice had sounds of distress. Mikhail didn’t know what to do, but Ian pulled the book he’d been looking at close. They flipped the delicate pages recklessly, stopping on an image that matched their species. Mikhail couldn’t make sense of anything on the page, but he did realize it matched Ian. Ian pointed at themself.

“Human,” they said seriously. They pointed at him and shook their head. He had learned that was a negative implication. “Not human.”

It finally clicked in Mikhail’s head. That word was their species. He was finally making progress with this information. He mimicked the teeth baring again and nodded. He tried to form the right sounds, but he couldn’t make that first noise. He nodded the way Ian had been affirming things until now. He felt awful when Ian’s face seemed to change to something similar to the one from when he first found them.

Ian stood quickly and started walking away. Mikhail followed after them. They kept looking back at him and speeding up. They never moved too quickly, he wondered if this was the fastest the species moved. When they entered an area with a group Ian did slow down and looked back less. Once in the flora again they turned to stare at him. He would need to leave soon, but he was a bit worried.

“Ian?” he asked. The other… the human looked at him for a few minutes before falling to their knees.

“What do you want with me?” they yelled. He moved closer. He wasn’t sure what to do to assure them he wouldn’t harm them. He held out his hand to try and offer peace. Ian stared at it without moving. Mikhail decided to try and mimic their first meeting.

“Chooman Ian,” he said and gestured to them. He butchered the word, but it was the best he could do. He pressed his hands on his own chest. “Not chooman Mikhail.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ian just stared at the apparent alien in front of him. He thought this was a sick joke. Guy found a homeless kid and thought it would be fun to mess with him. He stood up and pressed his finger into their chest. He glared up at the taller being. This would be a weird prank, although what they brought the second day sort of proves it’s not one.

“Fine, prove it. Show me your ship or whatever. Prove you aren’t human!” he yelled. Mik just looked confused until Ian groaned and had to think of a way to show what he wanted. He tried waving his arms towards the deeper woods hoping it would get across. Mik watched a bit before their face seemed to light up.

Mik started to walk away, stopping after a few steps to wait for him. He ran forward and stopped just behind them. They smiled, it was kind of weird when they did it wasn’t natural. Mik started to walk again and Ian just followed. He didn’t think it was smart to follow a strange potential alien off into the woods with the highest rate of disappearances, but he was doing it. The walk was a lot longer than he expected.

Ian was dumbfounded when they finally stopped. The thing was massive, at least as big if not bigger than the trees around them. He looked at Mik with a bit of fear again, maybe the guy was some kind of bait. Mik walked up and pressed their hand to the side of the ship, it had to be a ship at least. There was a light that appeared in a gigantic rectangle before the odd looking metal slowly lowered to the ground. Mik walked onto it and turned to face him again.

“Mik’s,” they said gesturing inside. So that meant this was their place, that was weirder than anything else. Mik started to walk in and turned back to see if Ian was following. He wasn’t sure it was the best idea, but he did follow. 

Inside the place was hard to comprehend. It had a bunch of machinery on what looked like tables way too high up. Ian shivered, if this was Mik’s then they had a partner somewhere. It was the only explanation for how big this place was. The idea of being bait flit through his mind again. The chances of humans being kidnapped and raised to not know any human languages sounded possible.

Mikhail was pointing at things and miming some kind of action. He couldn’t make sense of it, but nodded along. The place felt a lot bigger inside than it looked, just like the tent they gave him. Mik just kept going deeper and deeper inside. Ian was getting worn out, he couldn’t understand how this stranger had so much stamina. Finally they entered a large space with things too high up for Ian to see.

He looked around to try and get a handle on it. There was a table with stuff he couldn’t see, but it reminded him of sci-fi movies. A plane looking bed that was dozens of feet off the ground. He looked at Mik for some understanding, but they just watched him. He walked over to the odd wall in the room, almost relieved when it opened and no one was inside. It looked almost like a shower, but not like the one in the place Mik gave him.

“Ian?” Mik asked. Ian jumped, this was too much. He wanted to go back to his dingy tent, the cloth one he bought. Now he couldn’t stop wondering if some giant hand was going to grab the nice one while he was in it. Mik just pointed at a corner and Ian started laughing.

“You just have a random pile of blankets? Is that why you tried to give me back the one I gave you?” he asked. Mik just tilted their head, Ian bit back another groan at the lack of understanding. 

Ian settled for approaching the blanket pile. He paused after a few steps and looked back at Mik. They smiled that weird smile and didn’t move. He took that as an ok to keep going. The blanket pile was huge, he couldn’t tell where any of them ended. He placed one hand down and it was softer than anything he’d ever felt. The exhaustion building up in him seemed to bubble over at that point. He climbed onto the blankets and curled up on one.

“Is it cool if I just rest here for a bit?” he asked. Mik didn’t say anything, he usually didn’t. Ian just took it as an ok and closed his eyes. If they were going to kill him it would have happened by now, maybe whoever the giant one was wouldn’t be too bad either.

Ian had a dreamless sleep for the first time in years. He was pulled out of it by a rumble of the ground. He sat up rubbing his eyes trying to figure out what was going on. He only found a foot bigger than he could imagine standing near him. He chanced a look up and up and up until finally finding a face. He didn’t know he’d actually started screaming until the face turned to look at him.

He tried to scramble away, the soft blankets making it impossible. The strange red skin stood out to him first. Then the solid eyes that were such a dark green they looked black. The clothes the thing wore seemed similar to what humans wore and that was terrifying. He couldn’t place if it was on purpose or chance. The thing moved and the world shook as they took a step closer.

Ian tried to climb to his feet, but couldn’t get off the ground. The thing’s hand was surrounding him before he’d managed anything. Fingers bigger than him slipped under and pulled him from the soft surface. He tried to wriggle free, but the fingers seemed adept and handling things his size.

He couldn’t bring himself to make any more noises as he was brought to the table he couldn’t see over earlier. It was filled with strange machines and things that looked like needles. He’d been lured here for some awful dissection or something. The creature holding him placed him on a surface that reminded him of the frog dissections in school. He almost screamed when those impossible fingers pinned his limbs down.

It only took the thing one hand to hold him down. The other one was grabbing some strange looking object. Ian was shaking as it was brought close enough to press against him. It was angled to focus on his head. There was a loud noise and a light before it was pulled away from him. He let out a shaky breath as the fingers holding him down left too.

Ian watched in fear as the huge hands moved away from him. He couldn’t bring himself to move, terrified of the fingers pressing against him again. He just watched as what looked like Mik’s strange computer one hundred times bigger was used. He couldn’t read anything, but saw an image of himself followed by his brain on screen. He climbed to his feet and tried to run, but one of the hands stopped him.

The fingers were just covering him where he could still look ahead. In front of him something huge had started to form. He would have been under it if he kept running. He watched the weird light that seemed to create the object from nothing move to the side. It focused down to a significantly smaller area before a chime sounded.

The hand holding him back disappeared, but he didn’t move. The boom of a step made him shiver as the giant creature picked up the new object. He followed the hands up and saw how they attached it to where an ear would be for a human. He looked around, but he couldn’t find any. He almost wondered if it would be just a hole below the strange object. He was proved wrong as a wire from it was attached to something strange on the top of the creature’s head.

He stared as the creature fiddled with the protruding thing. It looked like a thick antenna. He just kept staring after the fiddling stopped, but the creature was staring down at him. He almost screamed as the hand came down again. It stopped by where the focused light had been and pushed something towards Ian. He looked on cautiously as something that looked like a bluetooth earpiece sat there.

“Do you want me to put this on?” he asked. He knew it was probably dumb to ask no way this weird giant could understand him when Mik couldn’t. This alien just looked almost like he brightened and nodded back at him. He sighed, it wasn’t like he could get away anyway. He walked over to the object and put it on. It really was like a bluetooth earpiece.

“Can you understand me now?” they asked. The voice was deep and masculine. He jumped and stared up in awe at the alien speaking perfect english. He stumbled back as the hands surrounded him again. “Ian? That was your name right? Had I been mistaken?”

“Who the fuck are you?!” he yelled. 

The alien leaned closer and he wanted to run. He had no escape and he didn’t want to register any features of the monster in front of him. The thing lowered so he was face to eyes with it. The solid color was terrifying; he couldn't read anything through it. The weird thick antennae both seemed to press down on the head of black something. It didn’t quite seem like hair. The alien tilted their head and it became almost painfully clear who this alien might be. One of the hands moved to hold a finger out to Ian’s chest.

“Ian,” they said. The finger moved to point at the alien. “Mik.”

“You have to be joking. You… you’re Mik?!”

Mik set a hand down and Ian just stared at it. He watched as the solid eyes seemed to move slightly and he caught on. Ian set his hands on the palm. Mik hadn’t hurt him there was no reason to assume the worst. At least he hoped that was the truth. The skin beneath him felt more like satin. It didn’t even seem like his hand had lines in it like humans do. The fingers around him curled over his head.

He gasped as the hand was lifted when Mik stood up. He was definitely taller than the trees outside the weird ship. He was brought close to Mik’s chest as he moved. It was almost comforting, although behind him there was an arrhythmic beat. It seems like alien hearts didn’t work the same. Mik took a step and Ian almost screamed as the booming sound reached his ears.

“Did something happen? I did not think I was holding you wrong. This is how we carry each other at your size on my planet,” Mik said. Ian looked up at the face staring down at him. His face was almost too symmetrical. He started to understand what always looked wrong about his smile before.

“Your steps are loud, I was surprised,” Ian murmured. Lying didn’t seem worth it. He could feel the way Mik seemed to react, the muscles tensing under and around him.

“I see, it seems sound is processed differently between our species.”

Mik’s voice rumbled through him as he continued to mumble. The words were weird and the translator struggled to follow. Mik walked more and his steps continued to boom. Once he stopped Ian finally was placed down on the blankets again. He looked up as Mik moved back and sat down to face him. The weird antennae on his head were angled down and focused on Ian.

He yelped once the alien started to sit down. The sound of impact was louder than he expected. Mik seemed to grimace, but the face he made wasn’t right. The hand holding him moved away and further down to the ground. Suddenly the hand tipped. Ian tried not to fall, digging his nails in and seeing a bit of bright blue blood. It didn’t work, but he landed safely in the pile of blankets.

“S-so what’s going to happen now?” Ian asked. He stared up still processing the face staring down at him. It wasn’t innately threatening, but difficult to feel comfortable near. Ian tried not to look too terrified at him.

“I assumed you would want to rest again. The scan said you were safe. I don’t fully know the status of time on this planet. Daylight seems to run differently than mine,” Mik explained. Ian couldn’t stop a smile at how casual Mik was about it. An alien found a homeless kid and started worrying about him. It was nice, but he was scared too.

“What do you want from me? You’ve been helping me and I didn’t do anything for you.” Ian stood up to glare at the alien. Mik tilted his head in that clueless way he always did.

“My goal was to befriend a local in order to learn the language. I have grown more concerned seeing your lifestyle compared to others of your species.”

“So what happens with your concern?” Mik made a noise that Ian and the translator failed to understand.

“If you would like, you can stay here. I could use help to understand this place more before my kind makes contact to launch a large-scale study of the planet. The goal would be to ally with your kind which appears to be the dominant race.”

Ian felt his jaw drop. An alien found him alone in the woods and wants him as a fucking assistant. He’d get a place to stay, wouldn’t need to find a way to pay for school and could have a nice life. Mik hadn’t done anything wrong, even stopped him from getting crushed more than once. He gave up, laying back on the blankets and stared at the ship ceiling.

“Sure, I can try being an alien assistant. I guess I have a place to live at least, right?” Ian laughed. Mik leaned over him and he tried to stay calm as it happened. Sharp teeth were bared above him in a creepy attempt at a smile.

“Thank you, Ian.”

[awkwardgtace]

Peaceful Rest

day 25 pocket. More Ian and Mik. Had to figure this one out for a bit but i like what i wound up writing.

Peaceful Rest

Ian hadn’t been sleeping well since he talked about his nightmares. They wound up changing to be both of them trapped. Sometimes it was Mik letting himself get caught for Ian. He’d been struggling to spend any time alone after it all too. He just hoped Mik hadn’t noticed.

“Are you ready to go, Ian?” Mikhail asked. He had planned to run out to a craft store to get some fabric for Ian to work with, but his brother panicked. He offered to bring him along, but they hadn’t tried going out with Ian in his pocket.

“Yes,” Ian yawned. 

Mikhail was worried about how tired he seemed. Ian swore he was fine. Mikhail just pushed the thoughts away and offered his hand to his brother. The borrower seemed to have some trouble climbing on for once increasing Mikhail’s worry. He lifted his hand up to his chest pocket and pulled it open with his other hand. He waited a bit as Ian just sat still in his palm.

“Aren’t you going to put me in?” he asked. Mikhail laughed a bit and shook his head.

“If you want me too, but I thought you’d rather climb in on your own,” Mikhail answered. Ian nodded and stood, he was a bit more unsteady than usual.

Ian approached Mik’s pocket slowly. He never had much fun in pockets. He was dumped in and thrown around in the past. It wasn’t chest pockets like this either. He looked into the dark space deciding how to go in exactly. He settled on just getting it over with and nearly fell over himself climbing in. He landed in an awkward position at the bottom of the fabric.

He tried to right himself, but wasn’t making any progress. It was only getting worse. He felt the chest behind him vibrate as Mik laughed. He hit his brother with what strength he could muster in his awkward position. It made Mik laugh a bit more before light entered Ian’s small space. He looked up and saw a finger reaching in.

He thought Mik was going to move him, but the finger just hung a bit above him. He carefully reached out and grabbed on. He used his brother’s finger as leverage to get more comfortable. Once he was settled he let go and watched as Mik moved away and pulled back the pocket opening. Above him Ian just saw green eyes with a hint of laughter in them.

“Don’t worry, pockets aren’t as easy to ride in as they look,” Mik smiled. Ian did feel better knowing it wasn’t only him who had trouble.

Mik let go and Ian was in a light darkness. It wasn’t like when he was in the walls or his room at night. Mik pressed a hand against him and then started walking. It felt nice, the light sway as his brother walked. Ian leaned against the firm chest and listened to the loud heartbeat. It helped him relax for the first time in weeks. Beneath the loud beat of a heart  he could hear air whooshing through massive lungs.

 Mikhail shifted a bit as he walked. He didn’t fully intend it, but better senses were nice to have at times like this. After what happened on the bus he was nervous about bringing Ian out with him. Today was a short walk to a nearby craft store and then home, it shouldn’t be a problem. He was more aware than normal as Ian shifted in his pocket.

Once outside he tried to keep his pace steady. Ian didn’t seem to be moving much, but that was better. He could remember the few times he’d ridden in a pocket like this. It was nice sometimes. It depended on the person and how steady their movement was. Trips to visit parts of his mother’s family who knew about the abilities like his often had him in someone’s pocket. His size had been too unstable and small was more common back then. He sighed as he started to approach the door.

“Almost there Ian, I can hear if you say anything,” he whispered. He’d already reached the entrance and a chime sounded as he opened it. Ian didn’t say anything, but he started to walk around trying to look inconspicuous. “I’m going to ask you about a few things, if you don’t want to talk just pat my chest twice for yes and once for no.”

Ian nodded to himself before realizing he had to make sure Mik knew. He patted his brother’s chest twice and heard a relieved sigh. He was tired, it was getting hard to keep his eyes open. He barely registered the things Mik asked about, but would pat his chest if he thought he could use it. Eventually Mik stopped talking to him and he finally lost his battle falling asleep.

Mikhail had his hands full as he walked back. He hadn’t felt Ian move in a while, but hoped it was fine. He walked in and set the bags down, finally looking into his pocket. Ian was sleeping. He’d curled up as small as he could in one of the pocket’s corners. Mikhail smiled and carefully moved to lie down on his couch. He pulled his phone from his other pocket and started to read a book he’d bought a few months ago.

Ian woke up slowly. It was warm and comfortable, but he realized the ground he was on was moving. He jumped up hitting the fabric above him. He panicked as the ground below him rumbled. Slowly the sound registered in his mind as Mik’s laugh. He barely remembered the trip out to the store, but started to climb out of the pocket.

Mik was on his back holding his phone above him. Ian had no idea how long he’d been asleep, but it looked like his brother hadn’t noticed him. He finished climbing out and started making his way up to his brother’s face. That made the quiet laughter stop as the huge face ahead of him turned to focus on him.

“You’re awake,” Mik smiled. Ian didn’t make a sound just kept climbing up the chest. Once he was at his brother’s shoulder he slid down and curled up next to his neck. There was another round of laughter. Hearing it through Mik’s neck was strange, but he didn’t mind it.

“I’m still tired,” he murmured. Mik shifted slightly before he moved his own head to be pressed against Ian slightly.

“Go back to sleep.” Ian smiled once his brother said that and closed his eyes. He could hear the sound of Mik’s pulse and a lot more from his position. He liked feeling safe with a human like this, it was nice.

[awkwardgtace]

Ian and Mikhail

Stories and universes that are just these two primarily

Original Universe

Secret Brother: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (Final)

Testing Boundaries

Ian's Halloween

Mikhail's Past: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3(Final)

Rough Ride

Secret Gifts

Mutual Fears

Peaceful Rest

At Season’s Change

Alien SizeShifters

First Contact

Meal Times

Adjustment Period

Mikhail’s Realization

[awkwardgtace]

Results of Expectations Part 1

This started as a streamer au for like all my ocs....then i decided to traumatize Mira. Yeah it's still kind of streamers and podcasts and stuff but it's very backend lol

TW: Panic, sort of panic attacks, a bit of dehumanization, IDK What else as always please tell me

Part 2 | Part 3

Results of Expectations Part 1

“Thanks for watching, we’ll pick this up next time! Signing off,” Mira smiled as she ended her stream.

It was always fun to have talks with her chat, but lately it’s just been questions about her size and what she looks like. It wasn’t like she was the only one who hid her size, but the others usually talked about things that gave good ideas. She laid her head on her arms, it was tiring. Her phone buzzed and lit up with a name that made her laugh. Ian should probably have changed handles from NervousGamer before streaming. She pulled her phone close and sent him the go ahead to call.

“Hey Ian,” she said, as soon as the call came through.

“Hey,” he chuckled, he was nervous. “How are you?”

“Ian, what’s on your mind? Talk to me!” She was putting on a begging act to get him to talk. She heard the deep sigh and knew she’d got him.

“I…Mik wants to tag along today. He’s worried since you don’t know if this guy is really human. He’d rather you get mad at him grabbing you and leaving than freeze up with a stranger… I would rather him go too.” He added the last part hastily.

“Ian… You and I both know I’ll be fine.” She could hear the lie in her own voice. Ian definitely heard it too. “I’ve been talking to Corus for months, there’s no way he’s a giant. He’s a human. He understood the stuff I’ve mentioned that only humans would. So there’s no reason for M-Mikhail to come with, at all.”

“Mira… you know he won’t hurt you. He’s like a really big brother. It’ll be fine. I’d go too and we’ll stay far away, even leave if he’s a human. Please?”

“Ian, trust me, I’ll be fine. I have to get ready anyway. I'll keep you updated, promise.”

She hung up quickly, trying to steady her hands. She had to get over everything for at least her family. They had giants in their lives and she couldn’t just ignore them. She could at least see them and keep going instead of freezing up. She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She had to get ready and go to meet Corus. A human that didn’t know her history was going to be a fun change. He said he moved here a few months ago. Plus he seemed to get the whole no control and hands thing too which was nice. It helped that he was cute for sure.

Corus was antsy as Delphia helped to fix his hair. He was hopeless with fashion, but couldn’t risk looking like a mess today. He’d been counting the days to this meetup, Mira was great. He’d planned this day since they first did a video together. She had been so nervous at first, he never expected humans to be what got her comfortable. Delphia stepped away and seemed to be happy with her work. He stood up and turned to face her, pulling his shirt down again.

“How do I look Del?” he asked. She studied him for a minute.

“Like a mess, but I’ve done all I can. I can’t hide your natural messiness,” she laughed. He acted like she’d shot him, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and a frown on his face. He smiled quickly though, today was too important.

“Thanks again. I don’t think I’d have ever been ready for this without you.” He pulled her into a hug and she patted his back before pulling away.

“Did you do what I said?”

“I told you she’s a giant, it won't matter. There’s no way I misunderstood. She's funny, amazing, kind, I’m sure she’s beautiful too. This will be great.”

“Corus, neither of you ever asked and you set all of this up. Please tell me you listened at least. I thought Ash was a giant after talking with them. It would have been awful if I didn’t know Alessia was human and only planned for giants.”

“Don’t worry Del, I did listen at least. I made sure to pick the park to meet so there’s no chance of trouble from a building. I also planned for us to get food at one of the new places that have every table set for humans and giants. Nothing can go wrong.”

“Just be careful, and don’t be too grabby if she is a human. She may not spend a lot of time around giants when she’s a streamer.”

“I know-” He planned to say more, but his phone beeped. Her stream ended which means he has to go. He waved quickly before running out.

The park wasn’t far and he wanted to be early. He picked a bench that was about midway for either size. He hoped she was a giant, but he wouldn’t change how he felt if she were human. He had every intention to ask her on a real date today. If she said no then they continue on as friends, but he was hopeful. He stared at his phone waiting for the message that said she was on her way.

Mira did one last thorough check in her mirror. A simple black shirt with jeans. They were just two friends meeting, although she definitely wouldn’t mind misunderstanding and this being a date. She pulled her phone out and snapped the picture that would seal her fate. The first image she’d be sending of herself to someone outside her small circle in years. She typed out a quick here’s how I look today before sending. She almost screamed when she got a picture back. Corus sitting in the park, he looked great. She shoved her phone away before her doubts could stop her.

She had called a car to get her there. It wasn’t too far, but walking near giants was…a lot. She was lucky she didn’t have to go out around giants basically ever. If only the ones her family knew could leave her alone. She knew they meant well, but after the way Ian and Mikhail even became friends she didn’t want to risk knowing any. At least Ian felt safe around one and that one would go with him to meet and greets. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as the park came into view.

She hopped out quickly with a quiet thank you before rushing to the human side of the path. She just had to reach Corus before another giant showed up. If another human was around then the giant was less of a risk. She made her way to their meeting spot, panic hitting her when she noticed the large feet up ahead. She felt her breathing start to grow rapid, she just had to get to the spot and wait. She’d message Corus and he’d show up and she could be ok. It almost never mattered who it was, a human made her at least able to handle being near giants. She took a chance to look up, if it was Mikhail she was going to kill Ian.

She almost screamed when she got a look at the giant face. The face that was supposed to be meeting her. That should be on the human bench that was too close to the giant feet. She couldn’t breathe, tears started to pour from her eyes. She was shaking and couldn’t get her legs to move. The giant would see her, know it was her, and grab her. She had to leave, she needed to leave. She watched in fear as the giant foot ahead of her lifted slightly slamming back down. She yelped as she fell back, staring up in fear as the giant head slowly turned to look down.

Corus was starting to get nervous. She had said she lived close, she shouldn’t take too long. She hadn’t sent him anything, maybe she was a human? Close for them usually was a lot slower than giants. He tapped his foot, freezing when he heard a small yelp. He looked down and saw a human knocked over, he must have scared them. He kept his eyes on them as he turned and kneeled to check on them. They had strange hair, bright…lavender?

“Mira?” he asked excitedly. He was honestly confused, he was positive she was a giant. How did Delphia always know these things? He reached forward planning to help lift her back to her feet, but he noticed her shaking before he touched her. Did he almost hurt her? He changed plans, stopping with his hand just a bit above and ahead of her so she could use it to get up. “Are you ok?”

He felt small hands against his fingers, the gentle pressure of pushing against him. He took the hint pulling his hand back. He tried to smile at her, to look gentle. He knew some humans still had nerves around giants, but he could manage this. He didn’t know if he should try to get lower or if that would make her upset. He just wanted a chance, she was perfect and he didn’t want her to hate him. He pulled his hand completely away putting it on his knee. She was still shaking. He hoped she wasn’t crying.

“Hey, uh do you still want to go get lunch?” he tried. That seemed to set her off, he watched as she jumped to her feet and started backing away. “Mira I-”

She was running. He couldn’t go after her, it would only make things worse. He just sat there staring at the little human he desperately wanted to turn around and come back. He just watched as she ran out of the park, was he that bad? He pulled out his phone planning to message Delphia. He took another glance at her and saw the worst thing he could imagine. Mira was running into the human street with a car coming right at her. He acted without thinking.

Mira kept hearing the voices of back then. Talking around her how she was cute and her new sibling would be so happy. The awful month trapped with barely any food and water. Different memories as she kept her world barely together. Bruises that had faded burning with pain. She just ran, she had to get away from here as soon as possible. She wouldn’t let another giant hurt her like that. They were awful and painful and she just had to get away.

Next thing she knew there was a blaring horn and bright lights. She froze as she saw the car coming at her. She was going to die, she couldn’t get her legs to move. Then she was in something warm and firm that felt familiar and awful. She started thrashing immediately, she hated this. This was a bad thing, this was something to hurt her. She started crying before her world filled with light again. She was shaking as soon as she found the giant blue eyes staring down at her. She was frozen again, a giant had her. She’d be trapped again.

Before she even had time to think there was yelling. Then another hand that moved her in a way that made her feel even worse. Then she was wrapped in arms, arms her size. She slowly turned towards the body that pressed into her and saw a face she knew. Ian was here. She grabbed him tightly, shaking only a little less. She took a careful look around, hand they were on hand. She grabbed him tighter, her shaking getting to a worse level and her start. She was pretty sure he said something, but her heart was pounding in her ears. Giants had them, giants would hurt them. Giants would trap them and torture them and kill them and the giant was moving.

She pulled Ian as close as possible. He was supposed to be with a good one. He was still a kid. Then he was pulling her and she was forced to follow. Ian took her to the ground, they had to run. She pulled on him, but he pulled her back. He started leading her somewhere. This was Ian, he was good, he was trustworthy. She followed him, stumbling over her own feet as she moved. Ian would only lead them somewhere good.

“Why were you holding her?” the man asked. His green eyes looked like he could burn right through him. Corus tried to watch what happened with Mira and the other human, but this man stepped in front of him. “I asked why you were holding her?”

“Sorry if you missed it, but she almost got hit by a car,” Corus answered. The stranger’s gaze softened slightly before flaring up again.

“I highly suggest you do not contact her again.” Corus tried to look around them, but they put out a hand to hold him back.

The stranger glared at him, but he wasn’t about to walk away. She ran like he was some monster, nearly getting hit by a car doing so. She seemed terrified when he was holding her, but she had nearly died. He was at least going to check on her. Hopefully they could work something out, maybe another chance. He at least wanted to stay friends even if she had a problem with giants usually. He sighed before finally turning away, the stranger just glaring after him the whole time.

Ian’s hold helped ground her a lot. It took almost the entire walk home, but she seemed to start coming back to the present. She slowly loosened her death grip on Ian and he smiled at her as she did. He kept them walking, he even kept them from being close to the giant paths. He was too good to her. By the time they reached her home Ian was barely holding her hand, she’d pulled the contact away. He waited patiently as she opened the door for them, then helped her inside. He sat her down on her couch and then took a spot next to her, pulling her close so her head rested on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time before she felt safe to even think again.

“...I’m glad you both came even though I said no,” she whispered. She felt the arm around her shoulders tighten before starting to rub her arm.

“To be honest, Mik had said he couldn’t let you risk it. Especially not with how you reacted to just trying to meet him. I didn’t disagree,” Ian admitted. She curled in on herself a bit more, leaning into the hold of someone who made sense. Someone her size. “Mira what happened?”

“I was fine and then I got there and there was a giant where we were meeting. I was going to message him, but then I looked up and it was him…” She had to take deep breaths to stop from crying. He’d been terrifying. The images in her mind holding a sneer and reaching to pluck her from her life. “Then I fell and he heard and he looked. Then his hand was there and I was running. Then bright lights and a honking horn and then his eyes. Then another hand then arms then you then the ground. Now we’re here…now I’m barely sure this isn’t some nightmare and I’m still there.”

“It’s ok Mira, I’ll stay until you feel safe again. Do you want me to call the others too?” She nodded into his chest.

He excused himself to walk outside, and make the calls. She knew one was to Mikhail too. She should thank him, even if Corus was safe she never would have managed to say anything. She would have had to rely on him deciding to put her down or call a human for help. If he even knew any humans. Every thought she had made things worse, he could have taken her. It could have been just like back then. Ian came back in and had her lay her head in his lap. At least she had a family that was the right size to help.

“Del, it was awful,” Corus whined. He hadn’t known anyone else to call or even talk to, going straight to Delphia. She was with her partners right now, but he couldn’t just sit on this. “She saw me, acted like I was going to-to kill her or something. Then almost got herself killed and some other guy showed up, grabbed her out of my hand and sent her off with someone who could have been a complete stranger to her. The guy then acted like I’d committed some awful act for even bothering to look at her. He basically threatened me not to reach out again.”

“I was getting worried that might happen,” Delphia sighed. He barely heard the soft voice of Alessia over the line. “What was the handle for her streams again? You never did tell me…”

“I wasn’t telling you cause she hides who she is. I was hoping you’d wind up meeting her so I thought it would be best.” He sighed. Delphia was asking for a reason he didn’t think he’d like it. He flopped onto his bed before he answered. Something about this made him feel like he’d be upset. He could hear Ash’s voice now too. If they were speaking up it had to be pretty bad. “I was meeting PinkEyedMiracle.”

“I knew it,” Alessia’s voice came through loudly. For someone so tiny she never failed to almost blow out his eardrums. “Look none of us can or will get into it, but there was no way that was going to go well. We grew up with her and it’s been like this for most of her life now. She can’t even face Vitus and Dabria who basically raised her. I’ll try to get her to at least be willing to talk to you, but I can’t promise anything. Delphia’s got to do us a favor now bye!!”

He had no time to respond before the line was dead. He stared at the phone for a while before deciding to open his chat with Mira. She didn’t seem to have blocked him yet. He scrolled up through months of chats, to the very first messages about working together. He needed to find where he messed up so badly. How could he have thought someone that terrified was a giant like him? How does he fix it?

It was a bit later than he wanted it to be, but he found his first clue. She said she hated going out lately. Everything in this town was so combined she was always on edge. He’d laughed and said he felt the same. That one still was a simple miscommunication. She was worried a giant would do something, he was worried he’d mess up and hurt a human. It was a clue, but definitely not an answer.

The next message was after they played a game offline together. She seemed really nervous and asked him about ten times if she could admit something. She’d said she was always terrified of the other size. She didn’t say which, and they had just played a horror game as humans escaping a giant together. He slapped his hand to his face, that one was pretty obvious. She said having him there was the only way she got through that game. He thought she’d meant being so small was terrifying, something he related to.

After that night there were so many obvious signs. She was terrified of meets after she heard about how bad things went for the human streamer NervousGamer. She wouldn’t meet this guy her friend had basically become brothers with because his size made her anxious. Of course he was a giant, maybe that was who pulled her from his hand. He tossed his phone on his desk, if he kept going he’d just see how blind he was. How was he going to fix this?

He rolled onto his back and stared at his ceiling. He could just leave it, that’s what that guy said to do. Alessia said she’d try to get her to talk to him. He sat up and stared at his phone. He could call her… He could maybe message her at least. Apologize for today and offer to make it up to her. Although what could she have been through to cause such a bad reaction? He groaned before reaching for his phone and staring at the last message in their chat. A picture of her before the meet up, the opposite of what he saw. She looked happy and confident, he wanted to see that face in person. He had to say something.

Mira spent the night curled up with her family around her. A group of kids who’d lost the people around them taken in by a couple with a soft heart. She loved Vitus and Dabria, even if they were giants. They had saved her, gave her a home where she still knew people, and they never made her talk to them. They were probably the only giants she could handle anymore. They were the only ones she knew wouldn’t do anything.

Alessia had her in a hug, Ash holding them both. The two were supposed to spend the night with their girlfriend, Delphia would have stayed here if she were human. Rhys and Ian were laying on each other on the couch, they fell asleep watching the movie they’d all put on. She slid out of the hug, smiling as Alessia rolled over snuggling into Ash. She carefully stepped out of the room taking a moment to breathe. She needed to think about things.

She had to check things, she had a lot she was supposed to do yesterday. She turned on her computer feeling a pang in her heart. She didn’t know if she wanted to see him say anything. She opened her chat app and saw the bubble she was dreading. She checked her email and posted an update while the bubble seemed to grow bigger on her screen. She hated this, she should get someone else to open it. She was running out of things to do and no one else was awake. She clicked the bubble, looking at a much longer message than she expected.

CorBuster: Hey Miracle, I kind of figured you may want me going back to your name on streams. Sorry I scared you so badly, guess I should have been more obvious I was a giant. I know some humans are pretty nervous. My best guess is I almost stepped on you when I tapped my foot. I was sure you were a giant, but that doesn’t excuse that I wasn’t paying attention. I’m sorry I grabbed you too, I hadn’t planned to go after you I swear. I just saw you heading towards the street and the car coming. I had to do something, I probably could have done something else if I thought about it for more than a second.

If you’re willing could we talk? On the phone or online or even chat like this. I just… Look I really like you and had been planning to ask you on a date officially last night. I don’t plan to push it or anything, but I would like to stay friends. Finish the games we were playing on and off stream. Fuck I might delete this before you even see it. This is stupid that guy told me not to bother you again, but I can’t just forget this. I don’t know why I’m even writing this part, I’ve typed this whole message like six times and deleted it all. I probably won’t even send this. I’m pretty sure the sun is coming up, I hope if I do hit send you think about it. If I don’t hit send I guess I hope you message me….asdfkajfwoihfasklj;nfv;llkjaf

She couldn’t help but laugh at the end. He had done that a lot in their talks, passing out because he stayed up too late. It was part of why she started talking to him more. She didn’t want him to hurt himself just to try and be popular online. She checked the time stamp, he sent it two hours ago. She could just pretend she never saw it, let him wake up and probably delete it.

Alessia had said she thought it was worth talking with him. She couldn’t even start to think of how to start. She had a panic attack and nearly died to desperately get away from him. It wasn’t easy to say she had a horrible fear of giants and actively spent her life avoiding anything to do with them. The only ones that she could even speak to were Vitus and Dabria, but that had to be done one at a time while she was hidden in her home. She can’t remember the last time she actually looked at one of them.

She sighed as she read the message again. At least she could handle telling him that it wasn’t exactly him that caused it. It didn’t help that she could still picture him only as the human she’d imagined. The giant yesterday felt like some horrible stranger. It was probably the only reason she could even stand to think about entertaining this idea. She started to type out a message.

PinkEyedMiracle: Look it’s…a lot to explain, but it wasn’t your fault. The only thing that happened was I should have asked if you were a giant before agreeing to meet you. Let’s just finish our current stream plans and call it done.

She hit send and tried to relax. She didn’t like that her hands were already shaking. That giant could never get near her again, Corus wasn’t that giant. Mikhail had put her down after getting her out of one hand. The giants aren’t bad, they aren’t going to do what the other did. They aren’t going to ignore it if she were to disappear. She had to keep repeating it in her mind as she slowly curled in on herself. A ping sounded and she jolted upright.

CorBuster: I’m willing to listen. Mira I don’t want to lose you even if we just keep being friends. Can’t you tell me what’s going on?

PinkEyedMiracle: Even if I tell you it won’t matter. No offense, but I’ve been through it plenty of times. Besides, I don't want to type out everything and have it sitting there where I can see it again and again.

CorBuster: Let’s video chat, just one time please. Just one chance.

PinkEyedMiracle is typing…

PinkEyedMiracle: …fine…

Corus was vibrating, she had agreed. He could barely wait, hitting the call and waiting for her to answer. She answered, it was so funny how they felt the same size right now. She didn’t look like herself. She seemed small, scared, like the person he’d known couldn’t possibly exist. This wasn’t Mira, the person he learned about slowly over months. This wasn’t PinkEyedMiracle the famous streamer who kept millions entertained almost daily. This was someone completely new. He wanted to know this Mira, this one felt more real.

He watched her as her face seemed to twist when it met his eyes. He wanted that to be the bright smile he’d seen for months. How could he fix this? Did she hate the idea of being with giants? It could be that she had a bad ex or something. He just wanted to keep his friend at least. He had an idea that may backfire, but it was worth a shot to get her to loosen up.

“So,” he started, she jumped and he felt an ache in his heart. “Giants suck. They’re all loud and grabby, and uh big.”

Mira chuckled at Corus’s attempt to help calm her down. That smile that had been something she was so excited for lit up her screen. He looked so human like this. Nothing that made it seem like he was a giant, like he could grab her and lock her away. She had to take deep breaths to push away those thoughts. He cared about her and she cared about him more than she ever thought she could about a giant.

“Look Corus, I…” she tried. She has to explain so much. A lot is horrible. “It’s probably easier if you just go back like sixteen years to find the articles about it. Although none of them mentioned much on the humans, just the poor giant kid who had their life ruined.”

Corus wasn’t sure if she meant for him to do it now, but she wasn’t continuing. He did look it up, a giant kid who had their life ruined and humans were involved. There weren’t many stories about that overall. There was one that came up that took place in this town. She had said she grew up here. The headline alone made him pray that he was horribly wrong. Human girl found with giant sibling after missing for over a month. He clicked the link, the images were all of the giant child and their family. It didn’t look like a single human was even spoken to or directly about.

He started reading and he felt himself getting sick. A giant couple had recently started to adopt orphaned humans. The first the couple took in had supposedly been doing fine and they took in a second. The second had lost her parents to an accident that happened between humans and giants. The girl hadn’t been seen after spending a day with her new family, a large assumption was she was healing. The giant couple claimed they hadn’t even reported her missing because they wanted to keep adopting humans. They were sure she’d come home when she was ready.

“Mira is this-” he tried to ask. He didn’t want to keep going if it wasn’t her.

“Keep reading,” she cut him off. He nodded.

The article didn’t go into much detail on what happened to the humans. It barely mentioned even their status after they were found. It did mention the first human child had been found deceased. Their second child was found after a concerned parent of her friend forced himself into her new home. He started searching and calling out for her when he noticed the couple’s child eyeing a box with a fierce look. The child tried to stop him, but he had forced them aside. He lifted the box, tearing it open and finding the girl. Reports on the human girl said she was emaciated and screamed in fear as the giant who found her went to hold her.

Apparently his wife had come along and took the girl to the hospital. Then the concerned father started searching through the boxes the child kept in the room. The other adopted human was found along with a number of missing humans from the town. All of them deceased. The giant child was charged with murder and sent to serve their sentence in a giants only prison. They were added to the human risk registry banning them from locations that humans lived unless their surviving victim spoke up for their growth. The child’s parents desperately apologized and wanted forgiveness from the human they had meant to take in. He couldn’t read anymore as it just turned into trash about how humans ruin the lives of prominent giants. Seemed like the one who wrote it was just a prick.

“Were you really the one who survived?” he asked. Mira looked up at him with a fiery anger that felt out of place. Anger was probably better to feel about that though.

“Yes I’m the one who barely survived some sicko locking me in a box after my parents were killed,” she seethed. “I don’t care what you say I will never state they deserve to be around humans again. There’s no way anyone like you could understand what that was like for me!”

“Mira I-”

“It’s easy for all of you to say move past and I can’t hold onto it forever! You didn’t fear for your life every day. Hear how people casually discussed you running away or hiding from them like it was just inevitable!”

“Mira… please let me-”

“Go ahead tell me how you think I’m just some cruel size focused bitch. I already heard it all before. You can take all the-”

“Mira!” She seemed to see him again, bright pink eyes filled with fear. He felt awful, he scared her again. “I don’t think you should be over it. I want to punch that person who did all of that and then personally thank your friend’s parents.”

“...what?”

Corus was the only giant outside of Vitus and Dabria who didn’t think she had to change. Delphia and Mikhail knew there was something, but she made the others promise never to tell them. She didn’t want to have them face the comments she’d heard before. Vitus and Dabria heard it all before and they swear these giants wouldn’t think like that. She wanted to believe them, but no one she’d met felt that way. It’s been years and there were others she told, humans always understood and giants always said they were different. The worst giants said she should just get them off the registry, they were only a kid when it happened. So was she…

“I well I think what you went through was awful and wish I could have stopped it. I can’t see where anyone would think you should just get over this,” he said. She watched as he rubbed his neck, cameras made giants so deceptively human. “If people have been saying that to you then I think they’re just focusing on the wrong part. That kid’s life was ruined because they treated people like trash and hurt them. That couple claiming they had no idea seems off too.”

“I need to go,” she said and shut her computer down. She nearly jumped away from the thing. He didn’t mean that, he was lying to her. He just wanted her to believe him so he could keep her like they did. She didn’t even realize she kept backing away until she hit the wall, sliding down and hugging herself. Alessia ran in, she was probably eavesdropping. She held Mira quickly trying to soothe her. It wasn’t panic, this was something else. It was like he actually understood… “He didn’t say I should be over it…”

Corus didn’t have any time to try and stop her. The call ended before he processed what she said. He wanted to know more, more about what that kid did to her. He started searching, he couldn’t find much on any of it. It was like someone made sure all of it was gone. He found one thing though, the couple that had taken her in had their contact information up. He typed out a professional looking email asking for details on the old incident. They replied in seconds with a number happy to take his call immediately. He didn’t wait either, relieved when the line connected.

“Hi, it’s a pleasure to hear someone looking into this again,” Mrs. Ambul said. She sounded almost hopeful, he couldn’t help the way it made him upset. She was probably hopeful that her child would be let loose around humans again.

“I was looking for some new content when I came across the old article. It seemed like the focus was mostly on how someone had invaded your home and ruined your child’s life. Can you give me some details?” he asked. He tried to sound curious despite the anger he had burning inside thinking about Mira’s face. She had expected to be rejected and blamed for something there was no way she controlled.

“Oh well, our child had some strange interests. They thought it would help the humans if they stayed somewhere dark and quiet, like a way to grow up. The first human child we took in had a history of running away and the second had just lost her parents. We had no reason to assume a story that came from a book would cause such trouble.”

“According to the article, there were a number of other deceased humans found alongside the two adopted. Ones that had been going missing from the town for an extended period. Can you tell me more about that?”

“Well there seemed to be a bit of miscommunication in that original article.” He heard forced laughter, he had a bad feeling about this. “Those humans had all been homeless and snuck into my child’s room for warmth. They frequently complained it was too cold so we had a heater in their room year round. The humans got stuck and no one knew they were there, nothing like you’ve heard.”

“I see.” He was going to be sick with his next line. “This adds up to a lot of what I found. Do you think you could connect me with your child? I have a lot I need their take on. A lot that if heard I might be able to get public opinion on their side.”

“Oh well that’s wonderful, unfortunately they aren’t allowed to interact over the phone or internet outside of their giants only community. I can give you their address and let them know you plan to come by maybe today?” The joy in her voice made him want to scream. He couldn’t though, he had to hold back and keep this up. He would probably wind up punching this kid in the face though.

“Tomorrow may be better.”

The woman spoke too quickly for him to hear, but he got an email with an address and the line went dead. He stared at it for a while. That reaction from Mira wasn’t someone who’d been misunderstanding a child’s antics. Their kid was almost ten at the time too. These people made him sick and he would get to the bottom of how anyone could think this was normal. Another email came in from the woman with a list of names. Others she spoke to before they spoke to the human who lied about her child. Things were getting clearer now. The first bits of a plan formed in his head as the dread settled in his gut.

He sighed before pushing away from his desk, he’d need Delphia’s help with all of this. He grabbed his phone and sent her a message. He may need her to contact that podcast friend of hers. That list of names is long and it makes him have a feeling there’s a lot more that got hidden. First he’d need to get some kind of recorder. He wasn’t risking his phone failing on him out there. He got a call after a minute, a bit shocked to see a number he didn’t recognize.

“Hello?” he asked as he answered. He hoped it wasn’t someone telling him Mira hated him.

“Cor, it’s me. I’m with that podcast friend of mine now. My phone’s being used by him for something. What’s up?” Delphia’s voice came through. He smiled, this had to get done.

“Look, long story short I found out about something that makes me sick. I don’t want to explain how I know, but can we meet and talk? Can you both come here? I want to get information on this and it’s a lot I can’t do it on my own.” He heard muffled voices on the other end. Delphia was probably asking, it seemed like she was agreeing. She always had his back.

“Ok we’ll be over in a bit. We weren’t far anyway. Although my friend said if you waste his time you’re paying for what he’d been out here buying.”

“Tell him I’ll do it anyway. Let yourself in when you get here, I’m going to be on my computer searching for some things.”

As soon as they were off the phone he went searching. He found article after article about how an innocent young giant was punished because a human made up lies. Each person on that list had written one, a number of them had petitions to get the giant removed from the human danger registry. Sob stories about reuniting them with their parents. He was ready to go hunt each one down and teach them a lesson. How could they see the way she reacted to giants and think she was just holding a pointless grudge?

Something else started to eat at his mind, she said her parents were killed, but the article mentioned an accident. It would have to be close to when that first article was written. He started searching for information on that. He was coming up with nothing until he widened the search area. He found an article, Tragedy at the Human Roads. It was small, but had more than enough information. A giant collapsed and fell on a human road, causing a number of deaths. The article had a picture of human survivors and it may be a much younger version, but he saw Mira.

He jumped when he heard his door open. This was worse than he thought, he just hoped he could do something about this. He couldn’t make her less scared or anything, but he could make sure that the humans hurt finally got the attention they deserved. He turned to his door waiting for Delphia and her friend. When they walked in he jumped up, it was the guy from yesterday. He was just as stunned, staring daggers at Corus. This wasn’t going to be easy to get help then. Delphia clapped, making them both look at her.

“I guess you two have met, Corus, this is Mikhail, Mikhail Corus,” she introduced them. Corus went back to his computer, closing the article on the accident and pulling up the main one he’d found on the creep of a kid. He stepped back again looking at them both.

“Obviously you already don’t like me, but just read these articles I found. I can’t just ignore all of this,” he explained.

Mikhail narrowed his eyes but approached the computer. Delphia leaned over his shoulder to read along. It wasn’t long before she had tears in her eyes and was backing away. She didn’t have the heart for all of this. Mikhail just kept reading, moving between each article slowly. Corus was getting worried he was actually on the side of the family that let humans like Mira suffer. Mikhail turned to face him once he reached the last article Corus had pulled up.

“What are you planning to do about this?” he asked. His voice sounded somewhat like when they met the day before. An anger thinly veiled under an air of decorum.

“I was curious after this, so I called the family from the article. They talked about how the human who survived misunderstood and how their child was being wrongfully punished,” Corus started.

“Are you intending to take their side in this?” Mikhail raised an eyebrow. That anger seemed to come forward more.

“I want to get the truth and have it reach as many people as possible. The last person the kid’s mother spoke with wrote an article a few years ago. I think if we work together we can make sure the truth about this kid gets out so there’s no risk to humans at all from them. A number of the articles spoke about reconsideration for the sentence. I have some ideas on how to help humans who deal with this too.”

“Corus, I need you to tell us, does this have to do with Mira?” Delphia asked. He knew the look in her eyes, he couldn’t get away with hiding it. He stiffly nodded and the two shared a look. Delphia turned back to him with a strength he didn’t expect. “What’s the plan?”

Mira hadn’t handled the call well. She shouldn’t have even spoken to him. She should have made up some excuse for all of this instead. Alessia had spent the whole day petting her head. Vitus came by at one point, the others had to talk to him. She couldn’t get over how loud he was with each word. He was trying too, but it was too much. Her mind kept thinking of a hand grabbing her, putting her somewhere she can’t escape. Of a single move that would end the lives of everyone around her. His steps as he left made her shake.

“Mira… this time it’s worse than normal isn’t it?” Ian asked. She nodded. Ian was supposed to go to a store with Mikhail today, but she panicked when she saw Ian walk towards his feet. She was going to ruin their relationships like this. Delphia had been on the phone with Ash a lot too, she was making them put things off.

“You guys should go, I’ll be fine,” she said. She was still shaking, this was the first time she’d been held since then. Then she spoke to him and he empathized, it left her mind a mess. She felt a squeeze on her hand and followed the arm up to Rhys’s eyes.

“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “It’s just like when we were younger, extended sleep over. Maybe we can convince Dabria to get us a giant candy again. That time Vitus was so mad, but he never did anything. He said we looked too happy for him to really be angry at us.”

The others laughed, but Mira just smiled. She remembered that day differently. The giant candy and eating bits of it they handed to her. The others passed out from sugar crashes while she stayed up nervous and anxious. Vitus coming to check on them, shaking in fear when she saw the anger on his face. He hadn’t seen her awake, his hand coming in towards them. She could barely breathe as he took the candy from them. She heard him murmur then walk away, a tense moment that ended with her crying herself to sleep in fear he’d come back.

Part 2 | Part 3

[awkwardgtace]

Rough Ride

TW: uhh wow i'm getting worse at knowing what is in my own stories. Mentions of death or well killing, a lot of self hatred cause these boys are both dumb

This started from that bus thing I posted.........it didn't stay the bus thing.

Rough Ride

This week had been hell. First Mikhail’s car broke down which meant bus rides to and from the campus. Then Ian started hearing something near the house and was terrified to stay alone. He took as much time off as he could, but he had to finally go back in. He had to be available for office hours today, it was too close to exams not to be. He heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at the bag he’d brought with him. He’d added a pillow and some blankets so it would be safe and Ian was sitting in there playing with a smaller tablet. It would be awful getting home today. Early in the morning the bus was quiet, but there’s been a lot of people in the afternoon lately.

“Is everything ok?” Ian said, poking his head out of the bag. Mikhail smiled at him and reached down using a finger to ruffle his hair. Ian made a face as Mikhail pulled away, he couldn’t stop the chuckle.

“Everything is fine, remember you have to keep your head down and stay quiet until I tell you,” Mikhail said, his tone mirthful while scolding.

“It’s fine no one is-”

“Professor, are you still available for office hours?” another voice called from the door. Mikhail raised an eyebrow as Ian looked up a bit scared and dove back down. He smiled at Ian’s confidence even away from home before turning to face the student who’d shown up. This was who he’d been waiting on to be truthful, she’d been falling behind recently.

“Of course, come right in,” he answered, motioning to the seat in front of him. She wasted no time taking the seat and pulling out all the papers she’d collected. He knew this would be a few hours and sent a silent apology to Ian.

He waved as his student finally left, she shut the door knowing it was far past his office hours at this point. At least she would be well set for her finals and thesis at the end of the semester. He leaned back in his seat groaning, looking at his bag for Ian’s small face to poke up. When there were no bright eyes, he felt himself panic and carefully moved the bag open. He was flooded with relief as Ian rolled over slightly squinting at the light. He smiled and pulled the tablet out. He closed the bag enough to hide Ian then slid the tablet in the side pocket. He gathered all his things quietly before gently lifting the bag.

They were leaving a lot later than he’d intended, at least the bus should be mostly empty. He carefully pulled the bag up on his shoulder, trying to keep his movements smooth. The bus ride should be simple, it was past rush hour. He shivered a bit as the wind blew once he walked out of the building. He opened the bag a little and carefully put his scarf around Ian. It hung out of the bag, but he closed it over enough to hide Ian and keep him warm.

The bus came quickly and Mikhail waved it down. It was almost empty so he took a seat further in the back placing his bag carefully next to him. He’d needed to check his emails, the holidays approaching meant his aunt was expecting more updates on his plans. He’d only been looking away for a minute or two when the easy trip became treacherous. He looked over to check on Ian when the person about to sit on his bag made his heart stop. He pushed the person and felt his own height shifting up. It had been a long time since he’d had this surge of panic grip him, claws forming on his fingers and caught on the person’s coat.

“Buddy what the fuck?” they screamed. Mikhail’s mind was a mess; he looked down and saw Ian’s wide eyes meeting his own. He didn’t think, clutching his bag and running off the bus. He wasn’t thinking, his claws getting a bit sharper as he rushed. He had to get home, get Ian safe then he could worry about everything. About how Ian would act seeing the bits of him that were a little less human. The parts he’s spent so much of his life controlling. He hadn’t realized how big he was getting as he ran, thankful he’d moved on his own to a town with a large forest. The bag fit in one hand, he could still tell Ian was there though. His senses grew stronger, more predatory, as his size changed.

He saw his home come into view and a wave of relief washed over him. He wouldn’t be able to get in like this, but he could bring Ian to the spot he’d sneak in and out of as Mik. He’d be stuck like this for a while, he couldn’t stop thinking about the what ifs. What if he’d stayed distracted? What if he’d dozed off? What if he was on the busier bus and someone did something? What if he’d moved wrong? What if he’d hurt him?

He got as close to his house as possible using two of his clawed fingers to put the bag where he could still see the covered entrance. The sharper vision was a relief when he got like this, but he didn’t want Ian to see him. Ian would know he’s a monster and finally want to leave. It would probably be safer for him though. He stayed closely and watched for Ian to poke his head out. He would do his best to keep his voice quiet and let him know he could go inside. He’d call Mandy to come by with Maria once he calmed down enough to use his phone again.

Ian finally poked out of the bag, Mikhail could see him looking around. He knew Ian was probably looking for an escape route. He could go inside though, there would be time before Mikhail could do anything and Ian could hide. He could gather any supplies he needed, Maria could help him feel safe after this. He had to work up courage to talk, the frantic searching Ian seemed to be doing was making him more nervous.

“You can head in there’s an entrance in front of you,” Mik’s booming voice sounded behind him. He whipped his head around, relieved Mik hadn’t abandoned him after all. He thought for sure Mik was mad he’d poked his head out on the bus, but there was a shadow over the bag and he got curious.

Ian wanted to talk, but his words were caught in his throat. Mik didn’t look like Mik. He had these long black claws on his fingers and his eyes looked the same as the cat the bad human had in their house. He wasn’t sure this was Mik anymore, but the voice sounded like his when he got bigger. It had to be Mik, he wouldn’t let anything hurt him. So he could feel safe, right?

“Mik?” he asked. He watched the thing that looked like Mik nod and instantly relaxed. If it was Mik then he didn’t have to worry. He climbed out of the bag on the side facing Mik and started to walk towards him.

“Ian no, you should go inside,” his voice was gruff and sounded off. Ian didn’t want to be the only one inside though. It would make him feel worse about making Mik bring him along today. He ignored Mik and started walking towards the hand he’d left on the ground. He climbed on top of it and stared up at him. He could make out some of the green he knew behind the yellow. This was definitely Mik it would be fine.

“Not until you do,” he said. He’d felt a lot better standing up to Mik even when he was bigger than humans recently. Mik had been so scared when he told him about when he was a kid, Ian didn’t want him to be sad or scared again.

“Ian, I might be stuck like this for a while...it’s too cold for you to stay out with me.”

Ian knew what he was thinking was stupid. He should listen to Mik and go inside, but he looked so sad. Ian didn’t want to leave Mik alone right now. He took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the sleeve on the hand he was standing on. He started climbing before Mik could stop him. Mik was usually too scared to touch him when he was even human size so he shouldn’t have any issue doing this. His plan backfired almost immediately as his shirt was carefully pinched between two of Mik’s claws. He froze up instantly, terrified of falling from this height. Mik chuckled a little and Ian relaxed a bit in response.

“You’re a brat lately, do you know that?” Mikhail sighed. He brought a hand up to Ian so he’d be on a safer surface. Ian didn’t have to pretend to be brave; it was all right for him to be scared. People were scared even when he didn’t change his size much and these traits came out. A fun side effect of the blood that made him a shifter in the first place.

“Well that has to be your fault since you’re the only way I could be one,” Ian snarked. Mikhail laughed curling his fingers over Ian to keep him safe. Once his laughter died down he looked at Ian a bit more closely. He wasn’t shaking, and there wasn’t any scent of fear. Maybe Ian wasn’t pretending after all. “So...how come you have claws and stuff?”

Ian felt Mik’s hand tense as soon as the words left his mouth. He shouldn’t have asked, maybe he did something that caused it. Humans had some weird stuff based on the things he saw watching shows with Mik. Ian could have done something that did this by accident. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Mik sighed, it was enough to knock Ian on his back. He hadn’t realized just how much Mik’s small movements could affect him right now, it made him shudder.

Ian pushed the thought away, just in time too. Mik pulled his hand closer to him and Ian could tell just how different this was then normal. He was in the middle of his palm, normally he could stretch out and touch Mik’s chest when he was held like this. Right now he barely took up much room on the hand holding him. Mik could hurt him easily if he wanted to, and yet he held the bag carefully when he was running. He’d put it down gently and grabbed Ian by his clothes so he couldn’t hold him too tightly. Mik was safe, even if Ian was the size of dust to him Mik would always be safe.

Mik curled his fingers in almost touching Ian before air rushed around him. He felt his heart beat faster as the movement kept going. There was a booming sound of impact that Ian flinched from. He didn’t want Mik getting hurt because of him. There was more movement and smaller booms before it finally stopped. The air rushed around him again before a heavy thump sounded. The fingers above him uncurled and he was looking up at Mik again. He slowly sat up, ignoring the way Mik’s eyes were following him. He saw the tree Mik was sitting by, they weren’t close to the house anymore.

“D-did you walk over here?” Ian asked. He didn’t mean to stammer, but that would mean the air rushing by and the loud sounds were just Mik moving. Mik wasn’t that colossal...was he?

“Y-yes, I thought it would be better to talk where we could both probably be more comfortable,” Mikhail answered. He should probably have warned Ian, but he didn’t want to take the time to let the idea stew in his mind. He’d caught bits of fear from him and didn’t want to give himself time to reconsider. He sat with his knees up near his chest and placed his hands on top of them. The one with Ian flat, the other cupped around like a barricade from the chilly air. He hadn’t felt the part of him that reacted forcefully calm at all, he was stuck for a while yet.

“...I never thought about how it would be when you move and you’re so big…” Mikhail tried to ignore the smell of fear that grew as Ian spoke.

Ian was overcome by a terrified awe. Mik was so big, but still careful not to hurt him. He tried to imagine being on the ground when he moved and the image terrified him. Mik’s sigh had knocked him over, he’d probably be bounced around by his steps. It made Ian nervous to think of, at some point he’d have to walk while Ian wasn’t on him. He looked at Mik and saw how focused his gaze on him was, he’d be fine when that day came. Mik would never let him get hurt.

Ian was watching Mikhail expectantly. He didn’t really want to explain this part to Ian. He could still see Maria’s fear in his mind the first time his claws came in and his eyes changed. He hadn’t even been much bigger than a normal human. She got used to it eventually, but he never wanted Ian to look at him like that. He curled his fingers in, he hadn’t meant to do it. The more he got in his own head, the more he panicked the harder it would be to get back to normal at all. He just needed to keep his family safe, once he knew Ian was safe he would start to revert...probably. He let out a sigh again, wincing a bit when he saw it knock Ian over for the second time. He had to be more careful; he was more like a force of nature to Ian than just a human right now.

“So you remember what I said, about having a blessing or something passed down in my family’s blood?” he started, Ian nodded vigorously. “Well, the thing that gave us power wasn’t exactly...kind. They had apparently hunted humans...and borrowers. I spent a long time making sure I could keep this part under better control, but I panicked on the bus…”

Mikhail couldn’t look at Ian. He was sure he’d be met with panic, the fear would follow after. He knew his claws let him be more careful, but it didn’t stop them from being scary. His eyes helped him follow borrowers even when his size made them seem the size of ants. His senses were heightened and the fear wafted off of everyone as they met him like this. He had started holding his breath after he spoke, he didn’t want to smell Ian’s fear. He hadn’t even learned his natural scent yet either. It wasn’t something he should learn when he would probably be leaving. He twitched his fingers and waited for the scream that would follow it.

“So...you get claws and weird eyes?” Ian asked. He nodded, preferring not to say the scent thing. He remembered Mandy panicking when she heard that and worried he’d be too much like his ancestors. She’d kept him under strict watch until he started to control this part of himself better. “What else do you do?”

He had to breathe now, he couldn’t answer if he didn't. He took a deep breath and froze, there was no fear. He caught a bit of cinnamon, but there was no fear coming from Ian. He leaned closer to his knees and Ian didn’t even flinch. How on earth was Ian careless like this? He should be terrified, Mikhail just said he’s something that used to hunt people. Unless Ian doesn’t realize what he meant. He’d have to explain it more clearly. This was the worst outcome of Ian going with him to work.

“I-I can see better, even if you were the size of an ant to me I’d be able to pick you out and see your face. It would be a little blurry though. Then I can...smell you and others. You all have a scent...I can smell fear...too,” he said, hanging his head. He waited for that strong sweet smell to join the hints of cinnamon he started to get. It was taking longer than he expected. He felt Ian pat the hand he had used as a wind guard and looked up quickly.

“I think that sounds kind of cool.” Ian looked up at Mik’s eyes, seeing more green than earlier. “I mean if you can see me almost perfectly I don’t have to be scared when you’re like this. Right?”

Ian watched as the yellow almost completely left Mik’s eyes. Mik leaned forward close enough Ian could feel his warm breath. He wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but didn’t move. Mik would never hurt him so he could just wait for him to be ready to answer. He wasn’t entirely unafraid, Mik did look scary, but he knew he was safe. There was something dark behind Mik’s eyes right now too. It started to make him wonder if, just maybe, there was more to ‘hunted’ than he thought.

“Ian…,” Mik whispered, Ian stared up at his brother. “Stop pretending you’re alright. I can tell you’re scared. What’s on your mind?”

Mik pulled away and Ian shivered as the cold air hit him again. He stared at Mik and saw more of the darkness in his eyes. He got worried that he did something to hurt him. He didn’t want to be alone again. Mik had been the first person that seemed to really care about him. He felt stinging in his eyes as tears tried to fall in the cold. He almost screamed when one of Mik’s claws came close, relieved when it was pulled away after wiping one of his tears he hadn’t felt fall. The claw stayed close and he reached out to hold on to it.

“Ian, you don’t have to be brave. I know I’m scary like this. I had wanted you to go inside so you didn’t have to…” Mikhail trailed off. He wouldn’t admit he didn’t want Ian to know he could get like this. He tried desperately to ignore the newer wafts of fear coming from his brother. “I can bring you back over to the house, we can talk more once I calm down more.”

“You keep saying calm down, I don’t even know why you have to calm down. I’m not scared of you, just nervous about some things. Like why you keep looking at me like that, like you want me to go away. I don’t want to lose my family again,” Ian said. Mikhail felt his eyes go wide. He wanted to laugh, panicked and afraid of himself he’d run off the bus. Ian didn’t even know what happened. He leaned his head back hitting the tree he’d been leaning against. He didn’t even notice he’d gotten at least a foot shorter.

“On the bus...I almost let you get hurt. I had looked away for a few minutes and when I looked over someone had almost sat on the bag you were in. I acted without thinking, I had to protect you. I pushed them away, but I’d had the claws start already and tore their jacket. I panicked when I saw your head out of the bag, you looked terrified. I ran here after that, Ian I could have hurt them badly without thinking about it. I could hurt you without realizing it,” Mikhail said, on the verge of tears. He’d wondered since these traits showed up if that night with his parents there was more that he wasn’t told. That he’d done more. Now with Ian, he’d completely lost himself in fear on the bus. He could have hurt him so easily.

Ian was angry at himself. Mik wouldn’t be like this if Ian could just be brave. He was only there because he was scared to be alone. He shouldn’t have mentioned the weird noises he’d heard, then Mik would have left like usual and they’d already be inside. Ian started to cry, the wind making his tears sting his skin. He was bawling within seconds, rubbing his eyes to try and stop the tears. He needed to be strong and tell Mik he’d leave like he wanted. That way this wouldn’t happen again. He jumped, but relaxed into the touch when Mik carefully rubbed his back.

“I’m sorry Ian, I should have done better. It’s alright you don’t have to cry. I’ll get you back inside safely soon and then we can…,” Mik struggled to say it. “We can call Mandy and Maria and they can help you.”

“P-please don’t send me away,” Ian started to beg, “I’ll be brave about weird noises. I won’t ask to go with you when you leave again. I’ll be good. I don’t want to be alone again. Please…”

“Wh- no..Ian, I don’t want to send you away. I thought... I thought you were crying because I almost let you get hurt. Ian-”

“I’m sorry I won’t make you so mad you get the claws and stuff again. Please give me another chance.”

“Ian listen to-”

“I’ll stay in the house in your room unless you tell me. Or-or stay in the walls unless you call for me. I’ll just be a normal borrower and leave you alone. I-I really don’t want to leave you even if we don’t spend time together anymore. Please...please.”

Mik knocked Ian out of his spiral, literally. He’d leaned forward and nudged Ian with his nose gently. Ian immediately reached his arms out as far as possible to hug the nose that was currently larger than him. He kept crying and begging Mik to keep him. He didn’t want to start over and be alone. Mik said they were brothers, but his parents left him…they probably didn’t even care if he survived that day. Mik didn’t try to speak, just let Ian cry while holding him close. It was a few minutes before Ian’s crying fell to sniffles.

“Ian...I’m not sending you away. I wouldn’t do that. I just...I thought you finally saw the monster I am. I don’t want you living anywhere you’re scared Ian,” Mikhail explained. He could smell the fear, it only made him feel more protective of his little brother. This was a mess neither deserved, it was his own fault he’d made the mistakes. Ian was crying so hard, it shouldn’t be like this. He was determined to make sure he was safe. He felt his claws growing again, but his size shifted down. A better result than the other possibilities.

“Th-then can I ask you something? Will you promise not to get mad?”

“You can ask anything.” Mikhail pulled away slightly and tried to smile at Ian. It wasn’t easy to feel happy about all of this. He couldn’t imagine what he had to ask. He just had to stay calm with whatever it was.

“What did you mean by hunted? I don’t think I’ve heard that word before.” Mikhail felt his blood run cold. He had no idea why he assumed Ian would know what that meant. He was a kid who lived with indoor borrowers and a cruel human. He wasn’t scared because he didn’t know what hunting meant. He didn’t know that his ancestors had been…monsters. He wasn’t ready to explain this, he had to though. He couldn’t just not answer. He sighed, before looking Ian in the eyes.

“Hunted is usually when…someone or something stalks or-or follows something they see as well, uh, food. My… ancestors were a kind of magic creature that would hunt humans and borrowers. They uh, they needed them for…food.” Mikhail was hit with a strong smell of fear and his world shifted. Within seconds he was in the snow with Ian laying on the ground in front of him. He jumped up and ran to his brother, terrified he’d been hurt in the fall.

Ian groaned as he started to push himself up. He never expected Mik to drop him, he’d been terrified when he thought of something that could smell borrowers chasing them like Mik explained. He looked up for Mik, his fear spiking when there was no looming form dwarfing him. He felt his heart drop, Mik must have left him once he got scared. He asked something he shouldn’t have. He screamed as a hand touched his arm whipping his head to see the owner. His arms went slack as he recognized Mik and the concerned gaze despite his yellow eyes.

Mik tried to get him up, but seemed to struggle. Mik had carried Ian at this size plenty of times though. That seemed to wake him up, Ian jumped to his feet and looked down at Mik. Mik was always taller, he always had to look up. He was supposed to be at least an inch shorter than Mik, not the other way around. Something had gone wrong, he’d made something go wrong. He tried to reach for him, but Mik stepped back. There was something in his eyes, Ian didn’t like it. It made him think of when the bad human finally started to be bad, the way he felt then.

“Mik…what happened?” he asked. They were outside in snow, the worst thing for a borrower as the weather got colder. They had to move quickly, at least they could huddle in the bag until Mik was bigger, or they could use the entrance he mentioned.

“I-I…,” Mikhail was lost for words. He’d never expected to be looking up at Ian, the last time he was this small was when he was still a child. He had to protect Ian, but Ian was scared of him. At least if he was small then Ian didn’t have to be scared. Maybe that was why he was staring up into his brother's brown eyes.

Neither had long to dwell on the situation before the bushes near them rustled. Mikhail tried to stand in front of Ian, but Ian wouldn’t let him. He grabbed his arm and started to run, the snow slowed them by a lot. Mikhail looked back, terror overwhelming him as a fox poked out of the bushes. It must have been the scratching Ian had heard. It was trying to get inside and find warmth or maybe a meal, his house was isolated enough it wasn’t uncommon. He’d been sure to make it wild animal proof though, so this would be the only chance it has to get that easy meal if it wasn’t seeking warmth.

Ian continued dragging him along, the two making minimal progress. Mikhail had to do something he had to protect Ian. He couldn’t get himself to shift though, he was stuck and they were in danger. Ian tripped and looked back finally seeing the fox. Mikhail tried to move him forward, but Ian was stronger right now. He pushed Mikhail in front of him then turned and started to walk towards the fox. Mikhail’s blood ran cold.

“Ian what are you doing?!” he screamed. He couldn’t stop picturing the worst if the fox decided to pounce on them. “We have to keep going until we reach the house, it hasn’t decided to pounce yet!”

Ian shook his head and Mikhail’s blood was like ice. He wouldn’t be able to survive a fox. Mikhail knew they wouldn’t make it to the house either. The fox was eyeing them and he saw the predatory stance. It reminded him of the cat with Maria, almost. This was more dangerous; it wouldn't be a simple cut if he even managed to shift. He had to stop this.

“Y-you’re out here, l-like this because of me,” Ian stammered. He knew Mik hadn’t moved yet. He looked over his shoulder trying to be strong. “I-I’ll distract it. K-keep going.”

Ian didn’t want to wait for Mik to move and started to move towards the fox again. If he was braver this wouldn’t be happening. If he didn’t panic when Mik explained hunting because of his own imagination Mik would be safe and so would he. He would make it up to him though. Mik would get home and go back to his life without a borrower holding him back anymore. He didn’t need someone like Ian who couldn’t even borrow right in the first place. He shouldn’t have survived getting pulled away in the current back then.

The fox perked up more as Ian approached it. His entire world seemed to be slipping away as Ian walked away from him. Mikhail couldn’t breathe, his body was shaking. Ian would die and it was his fault. He didn’t protect him, he didn’t protect his family. He’d failed again…no he hadn’t failed yet. It was like something took him over and everything in the world looked…different. It was clearer, he could sense the feelings of the fox, the joy at the easy meal. His brother would never be an easy meal. Not while he was alive.

Ian was knocked on his back as something crashed in front of him. The world shook around him and he tried to think. He was terrified, something big just landed, where was Mik? Was Mik safe? He didn’t get to look before a shadow covered him, something huge surrounded him completely. His world was completely dark, is this something new humans figured out? Was this one of the things that hunted humans Mik talked about? His heart was racing, was his brother safe?

There was a loud rumble above him followed by the muffled sound of a fox barking. The rumble grew loud enough to be a clear growl. The fox yelped and Ian heard the bushes rustle again. He didn’t know what was going on, his panic rising. He needed to find Mik, make sure he wasn’t hurt. The thing around him started to move but came closer at the same time. When the light came in he wanted to get ready to run, but there was a humongous face above him. The face of the one person who always made him feel safe, even when he was scared. Mik.

Mikhail wasn’t sure what happened. He’d been huge and growling before he could think, fucking growling he never growled before. He slowly moved his hand, sliding his fingers to circle around the center. He needed to see that he hadn’t hurt Ian. When he saw Ian alive, the sweet scent of fear and strong cinnamon hitting him was still a relief. Fear meant alive, it meant he hadn’t accidentally killed his brother. Ian stared up at him, brown eyes filled with fear. He couldn’t believe he was even able to see him so clearly. He started to open his hand more and free Ian from the prison he’d made.

Ian had other plans. Once he recognized Mik everything became overwhelming. He stood up as fast as he could when Mik started to pull away and ran to the closest bit of finger. He was miniscule to his brother right now, but he didn’t care. Mik saved him, he always saved him and Mik was safe too. He leaned into the bit of finger, he wasn’t even tall enough to touch the top of it, but he didn’t care. He’d been terrified he’d lost his family again.

“Ian, are you alright?” Mikhail tried to be as quiet as possible. He’d never been this large around a borrower before. He didn’t want to hurt him. He tried not to let himself be distracted by how clear yet small Ian looked right now, and how quickly the sweet smell of fear grew stale. He almost cried when he saw Ian’s tiny head nodding as he seemed to try and snuggle closer into him. Mikhail had all his stress leave him quickly, his size slowly shifting down. Once he was only a few feet taller than normal, he used his claws to pick Ian up and place him flat on his hand. He pulled his hand close, careful to keep his claws from being near enough he could prick Ian.

Ian was happy when Mik put him in his hand. It made him feel safer, the fox could come back. As Mik pulled his clawed fingers away Ian crawled over and hugged one tightly. He felt the finger getting smaller, his arms reaching the edges of the finger slowly. Mik didn’t say anything as he started walking. Ian didn’t care, he just wanted to keep feeling safe. Mik bent over at one point, a claw carefully steadying Ian against the finger he was hugging. He wouldn’t move until Mik made him. He didn’t want to be away from his brother, even just in the same room wouldn’t be enough.

He heard a door open and close and the bag hit the floor. Mik didn’t even try to take his coat off and Ian was glad. It took only a few minutes before he heard the bed creak as Mik sat down. He was reluctant to pull away, but finally stared up at his brother’s face. He couldn’t read his expression, the yellow in his eyes overpowering the green. His mouth was open slightly and Ian saw fangs that he wondered if Mik knew about. He knew he was safe, even when he couldn’t tell what Mik was thinking.

“You aren’t scared?” Mik asked. His brother’s claw came close slowly and nudged his back. He turned to grab it and met Mik’s eyes, Ian saw them slowly go back to his green. He nodded and saw the relief replace the weird look he had before. Mik gently pulled the claw away and held Ian close to his chest. There was a rumble that started and he was worried it was the growl again.

“A-are you mad?” Ian asked, Mikhail was happy his face wasn’t visible to his brother right now. First he learns he growls, now he purrs. These mysterious ancestors had a lot more odd traits that Mandy never mentioned, he’d have to bring that up next time they spoke. He laid back on the bed carefully holding Ian over his heart. He was just about his right size now, just a few inches larger than his normal. Today was a lot more of a mess than it should have been.

“Apparently I can purr,” he answered. He waited for Ian to say something, the silence grating on his nerves. Then Ian’s quiet laugh filled the air. Mikhail started to laugh with him, after everything that happened he learns he can purr. The two laughed for a good while, then Ian started to squirm out from under Mikhail’s hand. He climbed over his chest, Mikhail holding his breath to help him with his path. He then slid down his shoulder and curled up next to his neck.

“Well your purrs are loud I’m staying here instead of your chest tonight,” Ian said snuggling closer to his brother. He was safe and warm and wanted to sleep. It was probably late too, maybe, he was still bad at times. “It’s warm and safe now…”

Mikhail felt his claws shift back and the purrs finally started to die down. Ian said he felt safe, which meant he hadn’t failed. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a monster as he always thought. He couldn’t be if he made someone like Ian feel safe. Although there was one more thing they had to settle.

“Ian…” he started. Ian squirmed to show he was listening. “Next time we take a bus, you’re riding in a chest pocket.”

[awkwardgtace]

Secret Gifts

Ian and Mikhail get fluff I did it. ty @alarcomet for reading this to confirm i did the fluff lol

Secret Gifts

Ian had been working on this for weeks. Ever since the bus incident, he wanted to give Mik something. He’d heard him on the phone talking with someone about sending gifts for the holidays. He wanted to give him something for them, even if he wasn’t sure what the holidays were. He’d spent a lot of time sneaking outside and around the house while Mik was gone too. He wanted this to be perfect. Everything was going well, until Mik came home and said he wasn’t going back for a few weeks.

Ian still needed some stuff to finish his gift. He didn’t even know when the gift was supposed to be given though. He wouldn’t let Mik see it until it was done. He was lucky to still find some flowers outside with the snow. The petals were all dried out so he just had to put it together, but he needed thread. Thread was something Mik would notice him going to get, he had to figure out how to ask for it or get him out of the house.

“Ian?” Mik asked. It made him jump. He’d been lost in his thoughts and he hadn't realized he’d walked into Mik’s room. “Is everything all right?”

“I-I’m fine!” Ian said.

He could tell Mik didn’t believe him. He turned around in his chair to face Ian better. Since that day on the bus he’d been less nervous about Mik at full size when he was on the ground. Mik got up and kneeled to be closer. He put one of his hands down next to him and Ian climbed on. He had started to find Mik’s hands comforting. Someone so big was always careful and kind with him. He had to finish the gift.

Mik pulled his hand up, curling his fingers over Ian. Ian stared at the ground as he left it, he felt safer in Mik’s hands than down there lately. Mik brought him up to the desk, flattening his hand so Ian could stand on solid ground again. He almost didn’t want to leave the palm, but he climbed off and started looking over what Mik had been doing. The desk was covered in papers that Ian struggled to make out. He hadn’t learned much reading yet.

“What are you doing?” he asked. He was genuinely curious, but if Mik started to ask questions he wasn’t sure he’d be able to avoid answering.

“I’m just writing some letters to some family,” Mik answered. “I’d rather not, but I unfortunately do want to keep up appearances with them.”

“Why keep up appearances?” Mik smiled and ruffled Ian’s hair. Ian pushed at the finger glaring up with fake anger. It made Mik chuckle, exactly what he wanted.

“They were my father’s family. Most of them aren’t great people, but there were a few decent ones. I at least keep in touch with them all and wish them well for the holidays.”

Ian made a face but nodded. He didn’t think it made much sense, but he wouldn’t expect to understand human families. He perked up when he realized this was his chance. He could ask what these holiday things are. He could find out when he had to get his gift done and give it to Mik. He just had to sound normal when he asked. He looked up at Mik, trying to make an innocently curious face.

“What are the holidays?” Ian asked. Mikhail felt his heart stop. This whole time he just assumed Ian knew about human holidays. He’d done nothing to let him ask or even try to offer explanations. It was already late in the month. Could he even go get anything for them to celebrate with?

“There are a number of holidays this month, many spent with family or friends. Personally I celebrate Christmas. Usually there are decorations put up and gifts prepared. Then the start of the new year roughly a week later,” he explained.

Mikhail watched Ian nodding and felt guilt eating away at him. There should be supplies at stores nearby. He’d never even thought of Ian when planning how to treat their home for the holidays. He didn’t have decorations usually, but with his brother here maybe he should. He could go out and get some small things certainly. He looked at Ian who had started trying to read the letters again and nodded to himself. He’d head out once these were finished. He’d be gone for a few hours at worst, but they’d have a much brighter home by the end of the night.

Ian was a bit bored as Mik worked away on the letters. He’d spoken like they didn’t matter, but he knew when Mik was doing important work. He just sat around waiting for Mik to be done, so he could try to get him somewhere a bit easier to sneak around. He’d started to feel his eyelids grow heavy, he might just go back to his place in the walls. Thumping on the desk made him jump, looking up to find an apologetic smile from Mik. Mik reached a hand down and ruffled his hair again before standing and shoving the papers in his bag.

“I’m going to send these out. I’ll probably be gone for a few hours. Will you be fine on your own?” Mik asked. Ian was ecstatic, this was the perfect chance. He’d just ask for Mik to set up the shows he likes and then he’d be in the perfect spot for what he needed to do.

“I’ll be fine, can you set up one of those cartoons again first?” he asked. Mik had a warm smile as he flattened his hand next to Ian.

“Of course.”

Mik took Ian to the couch in the living room and carefully slid Ian off his palm. He turned and started to set up the shows Ian liked, but he was focused elsewhere. He needed thread and that was kept in the kitchen in a drawer. When Mik taught him to borrow he spent a few days going over how to open drawers, he could get it. He’d almost missed Mik’s hand coming towards him, barely keeping his cool. When he didn’t know it was Mik, human hands were still scary. He held his hand around him and gave a small squeeze before pulling his hand away. Ian waved goodbye as Mik walked out the door.

He put his game face on and readied himself, sticking his hook in the soft couch to climb down. He had to hurry so nothing went wrong and he could finish it. He’d bring the gift out today, it seemed like the Christmas one was close at least. He slid down his string and had to fight to free the hook slightly. He always forgot how hard it was to get it free from the couch. He wrapped it up and ran towards the kitchen, quickly throwing the hook to the drawer handle he needed.

He pulled with all his strength and the drawer pulled open just a bit. That was all he needed. He climbed up the string quickly pausing on the handle to catch his breath. He hung the hook on the top of the drawer and wrapped the string around the handle before throwing it in. He climbed up on the part connected to the hook directly and climbed over the edge. When he got into the drawer he was relieved to see a spool of thread out in the open. He took as much as he could, some trailing behind him.

He would be back in the walls in no time. He just had to climb out, use his hook to close the drawer and head home. It would be easy, if he could actually get out of the drawer. He’d just assumed there was enough, but the string he’d thrown in was too high. He ran back to the spool of thread pushing it to the edge of the drawer. He started to climb it when he tripped, getting tangled in the loose threads. He tried to get himself untangled, but the thread he took mixed with the spool and wrapped him tightly. He was trapped.

Mikhail was relieved the trip took far less time than he estimated. The gift he’d ordered a few weeks ago could be brought in now that he’d wrapped it too. He hadn’t gone too crazy, a small tree for doll sets with ornaments the two could use together. He’d give Ian the most normal Christmas he could. When he opened the door he expected to find him asleep on the couch, not missing completely. He must have decided to head back to the walls. He walked in the kitchen to put everything down when he heard tiny grunts.

“Ian?” he called out. He didn’t want to assume anything bad, but he did feel his heart racing.

“Mik! I got stuck…” Ian called out.

He’d only made everything worse trying to get out while Mik was gone. He sighed when he heard the loud footsteps come closer. The drawer was slowly opened, light blinding him for a moment. Before he’d gotten his vision back, warm fingers wrapped around him. He was pulled out of the drawer and laid flat on a palm. He blinked quickly to clear his eyes, sending Mik a sheepish smile. Mik had an eyebrow raised, but he could see how he was searching for any sign Ian had been hurt.

“Ian, what on earth…?” Mik asked. Ian was brought over to a table that had bags piled up on it. He heard Mik’s sigh and felt awful. He was probably tired from all the human stuff he just did.

“I needed thread, but I got stuck when I realized I didn’t put the end of the hook string in enough and tried to climb on the spool thingy,” Ian explained. He refused to look at Mik’s eyes after that. He started to cry a bit, he messed it up there’s no way Mik would even take it now.

“Ian, you could have just told me. I would have gotten the thread out for you. I could have at least made sure you had the hook string right if you wanted to do it on your own.”

Mikhail couldn’t understand why Ian would do something like this. When he’d taught him how to get into drawers he also told him to make sure not to do it alone. It was risky with humans who weren’t aware of borrowers. He started to carefully free Ian from the string. When his fingers brushed against Ian’s face, he felt them get wet. Ian was crying, what could possibly make Ian cry right now. Did he get hurt from the thread? Had it been tighter than he thought?

“Ian what’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?” he panicked. He didn’t see anything wrong. He could get smaller to check a bit easier though. Before he could do anything, Ian started shaking his head. “Buddy, what’s going on?”

“I-I was t-trying to make you a gift,” he sniffled. “I heard you talking about gifts and wanted to give you one. I wanted to surprise you, but now it’s all messed up. I messed it all up, I’m a terrible borrower.”

Mikhail finished freeing Ian from the thread quietly. Then he pulled him close and held him over his heart. He waited as he heard Ian sobbing, rubbing his back gently. He’d learned by now when Ian cried none of his words got through. As the sobs finally died down he pulled Ian away and looked at him with a kind smile. Things were fine, nothing was ruined and he’d prove it.

“Ian, you aren’t a terrible borrower. You took a risk that had you been on your own and in a place you were hiding I’d doubt you’d have made. Nothing is ruined either, whatever you’ve planned is still a surprise. Needing supplies and having to get them with help doesn’t make a gift any less special,” Mikhail explained. Ian looked up at him with hope.

“R-really? I thought I had to do it myself, you kept saying you’d rather do it yourself when you talked about it,” Ian said. Mikhail chuckled and Ian tilted his head in confusion.

“Ian, that was me talking about wrapping the gifts I’d ordered for you. I wanted to do that myself. I can’t make or get everything I’d like on my own either. I had help for your gift, help is fine, it's the thought that matters.”

“So, I can still finish it and you’ll still take it?” Ian’s eyes were sparkling now, it was overwhelming to Mikhail.

“I’d always accept something from my brother.” Mikhail brought his hand close to his heart again before letting Ian off on the table. He returned to the drawer to grab the hook they’d left and carefully wrapped the string up. He placed it on the table next to Ian.

Ian grabbed it and started to fidget. Mikhail smiled and held his hand down next to him. He climbed on quickly and Mikhail moved his hand to the ground. He flattened his hand to the ground and Ian ran off quickly. It was seconds before his small form was back in the walls. Mikhail decided he’d set up their Christmas tree while Ian was gone. Grabbing the bags he’d brought in and moving them to the coffee table. The first thing he pulled out to set up was a ladder that could attach to the furniture. His aunt had made them and placed them all over the house when he’d first moved in. This set up wouldn’t take too long.

Ian was rushing to finish his gift now that he had the thread. He hoped Mik could use it somewhere as decoration. The petals all sewn on and finally staying in form he could bring it out. He was glad he’d chosen a ribbon to sew the petals onto, and that this was the one thing he’d learned from his mom before. She did this with flower petals they’d gathered from dying ones in their home. He took a quick look for Mik before finally pulling the ribbon and petals out of the wall. He was going to stick it under the couch when he saw Mik’s foot nearby. He yelped, hiding out of sight.

Mikhail heard Ian yelp and smiled. He was trying so hard to keep this a surprise. He stood up and shut his eyes, waiting for the feeling of himself falling as he shifted to Ian’s size. He opened his eyes when he knew he was done and went to the ladder he’d set up before climbing up to the coffee table. He sat down near the tree and spread of ornaments then shut his eyes.

“Ian, my eyes are closed and I’m on the table,” he called out. “I left something you could use to hide the gift in if you need it. Just let me know when to open them.”

He waited patiently as he heard shuffling from the floor below him. He heard a gasp and smiled, there’s no way Ian expected an easier way to climb up appearing now. He waited for the sound of footsteps on the glass of the table, a bit relieved once they sounded. There was more shuffling, like Ian was dragging something. Then he heard the crinkling of the bag he’d left out. He silently laughed as he thought of the year he’d gotten stuck this size around Christmas, the gift bags were a bit of a nightmare at first.

“All done, what’s all this?” Ian asked.

He waited for Mik to open his eyes, staring at the fake tree that he’d put on the table. Mik stood up and grabbed a few of the things off the ground. He handed one to Ian and brought him over to the plastic tree. He motioned for Ian to wait and ran off, hitting one or the remotes he kept on the table. Music started playing that he remembered hearing around now when he was younger. Mik came back with a big smile on his face.

“We’re going to decorate a tree and after this we have Christmas movies to watch. Christmas is well tomorrow actually, I hadn’t really thought of celebrating more than movies and the presents I’d gotten for you. I decided to run out and give us a better Christmas eve and Christmas,” Mik explained.

Ian’s eyes went wide at that. Mik said this was for family and friends. So that means he’s doing this because they’re family. His eyes started to water and he quickly wiped the tears away. Mik pulled him into a tight hug and he hugged back as tight as he could. Once they let go he followed Mik’s lead in decorating their tree. Once that was done they spent the night watching what Mik called classic Christmas movies. They all ended happily.

When Ian woke up he was laying on Mik’s chest, Mik back to human size. Mik must have moved to the couch after Ian fell asleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, planning to sneak off before Mik woke up. Instead he heard Mik groan a bit and turned to see his eyes opening slowly. He cupped his hand around Ian, yawning as he sat up. He put Ian on the table and reached under the couch pulling out a box filled with objects wrapped in paper. Mik set the objects around Ian before changing to match Ian’s size. He climbed up the ladder quickly, a smirk on his face.

“Merry Christmas Ian, this is what I’d gotten for you, go ahead and open it,” Mik said.

Ian nodded and walked up to one of the packages. He slowly started to rip it open and found a chair, made of wood and his size. He looked back at Mik in awe and rushed to the next one. Each package was furniture his size, but made of wood and not the hard plastic they’d been using. There was so much, he didn’t think he could even fit it all in the house Mik had gotten him. He could stop staring at Mik with wide eyes.

“I-is this really for me?” he asked. Mik smiled widely and nodded. He lunged at his brother, hugging him tightly. He never thought he’d get furniture that seemed made for his size like this.

“Mandy had a friend who made stuff like this for Maria and I. I had her reach out and make a new set to keep here for you, there’s a bit more coming. A better bed and other upholstered items. This was just what could be done in time for Christmas,” Mikhail explained. He was glad Ian seemed so happy.

Ian backed away from Mikhail slowly. His joy seemed to vanish slowly. He went and pulled the bag that he’d stuffed the gift in yesterday. He pulled it in front of Mikhail and then started to fidget. Mikhail waited for him to be ready to speak, he was sure this was worth waiting for. Ian looked around at the furniture and back to his own gift, Mikhail had concern hit him. Was Ian comparing their gifts?

“I-I think you should be human size f-for my gift,” Ian stutterd out. Mikhail listened, quickly sliding down the ladder and sitting on the floor before returning to his normal height. Ian looked up at him then stepped a bit away from his gift. “Th-this is for you Mik, Merry Christmas.”

Mikhail reached over and lifted the package carefully. He could see Ian wringing his hands, he was nervous about this. He pulled it out and found one of the neckties he’d been missing. It was a simple black tie that had now been covered in dried flower petals. He was astonished, where had Ian found flowers this late in the winter? He had no idea how to explain his feelings. It was probably the best gift he’d gotten in years. He may not wear the tie, but could already see a place in his office he could hang it up. It was amazing.

“I-it’s ok if you don’t like it,” Ian said. Mikhail put the tie down and picked Ian up. He held him close to his heart in a firm hug.

“I love it Ian, I want to keep it in my office at the school,” Mikhail said. Ian squirmed and Mikhail pulled his hand back.

“That’s what I wanted it for!” Mikhail laughed and laid down with Ian over his heart again.

“Merry Christmas, little brother.”