The next morning, Katie, Hannah, and Gloria woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed.  Far better than they had been since finding themselves in this awful dimension.  Their bellies were full, their bodies were rested, and they were enjoying each other’s company.  Ernest wasn’t bothering them today.  He was sitting on the bed in his underwear with his eyes on the door.  He seemed to be waiting for something, though what that something was remained a mystery.

Truthfully speaking, Katie wasn’t nearly as worried about Ernest as the others.  She knew Gloria couldn’t see him as anything but a monster, and Hannah had a hard time trusting anybody big.  And yet, even after everything, Katie couldn’t help but appreciate the help getting out of the room, and he hadn’t seemed outwardly malicious when they interacted.  Besides, seeing the titan sitting there with his toned muscles and lush locks, she couldn’t help but admit to herself he was very easy on the eyes.  

As Katie was gawking at the giant, they heard a loud, rhythmic slamming sound.  Each of the shrunken girls stood at attention looking for the source.  Ernest’s eyes perked up and he looked directly at the entrance to the dorm room.  The girls realized that for the first time since they had arrived, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in, it’s open!”

The door creaked open and a strange man walked into the room.  The most immediately striking aspect of the pale young man was his piercings.  He had three lip piercings, a tongue stud, and an earring only on the left ear.  His black shirt was fashionably torn near the elbow in a way that made it clear it was manufactured that way.  His nails alternated between onyx black and navy.  His skinny jeans clung to his body tightly, descending from mid-hip down to his thick combat boots.  Every inch of him screamed intimidation even at normal scale.  Given he was every bit as tall as the other people of this dimension, he looked like a force to be reckoned with.

“Hanz!  Welcome to your new home!  Make yourself comfortable.  I certainly am!”

“I will!  Let me unpack real…”

The words caught in his mouth, and to Katie’s surprise, Hanz’s cheeks turned deep red as he turned away from his host.  Hanz hadn’t expected that Ernest would be wearing nothing but his underwear, or at least not so soon.  He attempted to return eye contact to Ernest and not just stare straight at his crotch, as difficult as that may be.  His efforts didn’t go unnoticed.  Ernest adjusted himself on his bed and sat up with his legs wide open.  He had a cocky smirk on his face as if daring Hanz to look where he desperately wanted to look.

“Aww, is my bathroom buddy distracted?”

“I… I just… it’s… your...”

Hanz was a bit flustered being called Ernest’s “bathroom buddy”.  In truth, the two had met at a club a few nights ago.  Hanz had gotten a few beers and a little weed in his system and was trying to work his magic on a couple tipsy club chicks, and even a dude or two, but he wasn’t having much luck.  A bit overfilled with liquid courage, he headed over to the urinals to relieve himself.  That’s when he first met the stunning specimen he was now roommates with.  

Hanz normally tried to play it cool around people who piqued his interest, but there was something about slender, muscular hunks like Ernest that made him melt like butter in the August sun.  He was hardly the most subtle individual sober.  Drunk, he was quickly caught looking over to the side to check the beefcake’s package.  At first, he was embarrassed for being caught out, but Ernest seemed genuinely interested in him.  A meeting that began at the urinals ended in a bathroom stall, with Hanz leaking fluid from every hole in his body.  And very little of that liquid was his own.  The next day, the eager goth used the number the jock gave him, and they quickly arranged to become roomies.

Hanz’s knees trembled and his body got weak.  Hr clenched his eyes shut.  He tried to get the image out of his head for a mere second.

“Whe-where do I put my *gulp* my stuff?”

“Oh yeah, your dresser is over there”

Ernest lazily pointed at the dresser on the other side of the room.  To the women’s shock and horror, it was the one they were behind.  They quickly got further into cover to avoid being spotted.  Hanz made his way over to the dresser and started unpacking his duffle bag.  He unpacked his clothes, his knick-knacks, and other assorted items.  But the final item to come out of the bag threw all three of the girls for a loop.  The curio that had made the duffel look so rectangular was a smallish empty fish tank.

This caused Ernest to raise a single eyebrow. Hanz explained himself.

“Well, you see, it’s to keep my pet shifter safe.  You see, sometimes after a long day, the little thing gets tired and needs a good night's sleep.  I keep her watering bowl in there, her food, she even has a little blanket.  I know what you're thinking, but don’t worry!  She’s very well behaved.  Who knows, I might even let you play with her if you want.  She’s very amicable.”

Hannah was getting flashbacks to her time in the lab.  She quivered in place, praying only that she not get noticed.  Katie, meanwhile, started inching closer and closer.  Shelter, food, water, and a place to stay safe while they waited out the period to shift again.  And even if Hannah’s suggestion hypothesis was wrong, being in there was certainly going to be a better situation than living under a dresser scrounging for food.

Hannah noticed Katie leaving the shelter and rushed over to pull her back in so she didn’t expose where they’re hiding.  That ended up being a mistake on her part.  Hanz hadn’t noticed Katie inching forward, but Hannah’s scurrying caught his eye.  The new giant spotted the pair.

“Ernest!  I didn’t know you also kept shifters.”

“Hardly.  The dorm got a massive infestation the other day. One of the neighbors must not be taking out their trash.  My room has been crawling with them lately.  I meant to message you earlier to get some bug spray.  Sorry”

Hanz picked up the two shifters and looked over them.  He doubted Ernest’s story a little bit.  The skinny one looked a bit “well-used” to have been just a stray.  But thinking about it, both the shifters seemed to be women.  And Ernest was an absolutely stunning figure even from afar.  Why wouldn’t little sex-deprived shifters congregate here?  He shook that thought off though  He had more important things to worry about.

Gloria peered at the pair from behind the dresser.  She was very careful not to be spotted.  Her only two allies had just been taken.  She wondered for a brief second if it would be wise to try to reunite with her group.  They were the only allies she had, after all.  But Gloria hadn’t left one prison to be thrown into another.  She would remain where she was until the coast was clear.  Then she could make plans to survive away from all the giant people wandering this world.

“Well, if you don’t want them, I’ll just keep them.”

And with that, his long, well-decorated fingers dropped the pair into the enclosure.  From inside the glass, Hanz’s features were blown to extreme proportions.

“Aren’t you two so cute.  I just know we’re going to have so much fun!  I can’t wait to show my cute pet her new friends!”

And that’s when things took a turn for the worse.  Hanz unzipped the fly of his skinny jeans and reached into his underwear.  From it, he pulled a harrowed, battered soul.  Her body was covered in welts and scars.  Her hair was torn in some places and crusted over in some form of glaze in others.  A few teeth were missing.  She was drenched in sweat.  Her eyes were red and puffy.

“Go ahead.  Introduce yourself.”

“Please, my name is Stephanie…”

Hanz’s fingers pulled on the shifters hair as she began to scream.

“Did the dumb little shifter forget her name already.  Does you responsible owner need to remind you exactly what your name is?”

“Stop! My name is Stiffy, all right?  Stiffy!”

“And?”

“... and I’m Master’s personal penis pet!”