Josh couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of helplessness that coursed through his body as those words pierced him. The shrinking virus had turned his world upside down in ways he'd never imagined. It completely robbed him of his normal life. But it was the potential loss of his relationship with Peyton that really stung. As if being small wasn’t humiliating enough, knowing she was only prolonging their relationship out of some misguided sense of duty was a crushing blow to him. He didn’t want her pity, he wanted her to genuinely want him, to truly care about him. Time had crawled to a stand still since Mary had revealed Peyton’s true feelings.

"Josh," Mary asked, towering over him, "how could you not have seen this coming? I mean, of course Peyton wouldn't want to date a tiny."

"I-, I don't know, I thought I was an exception," he muttered, his voice full of hurt, "like it wouldn't matter..."

"Well," Mary sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "it does. And I'm sorry, kiddo, there's nothing I can do about it."

Josh's heart raced as he thought of all the things he wanted to say to Peyton. "If only I could just talk to Peyton, maybe I could-," he started.

"No, no way," Mary thundered, her gaze intensifying. "Absolutely not. Don't even think about mentioning any of this to Peyton."

"But... why?" he asked, confused. "She going to bring it up sooner or later."

"I'm not risking getting my daughter upset with me, especially over some tiny little man," she sighed, her huge hand gesturing towards him dismissively.

"Some tiny little man?" Josh repeated, a little taken back. "Mrs. Harper...," he squeaked, "it's me, Josh."

Mary's face softened. "I'm sorry, Josh. You're a nice guy, really, but you're still just a tiny. You're going to have to move on and find someone else."

Josh was starting to get a little upset at this point. "Well," he said, shaking his head, "when was she planning on telling me? How long has she felt this way? How much longer until she breaks it off?"

"I don't know," Mary sighed, "but I think she wants to do it soon. So, just wait until she brings it up. Okay?" Mary smiled reassuringly at Josh. "Can you do that for me?"

"I'll try...," he muttered.

"Well," Mary chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood, "if you can't manage that, then I think there's a nice pair of my boots that have your name on the bottom of them." She smirked playfully as she glanced over at a pair of discarded boots by the door and then back down at him.

"What?" he asked, his eyes widening in panic.

Even James and Michael looked at each other nervously. They wisely avoided eye contact entirely with the giant woman towering over them.

"Oh come on, guys," Mary said in exasperation, dropping her hands to her side and shaking her head, "I'm just messing with you, geez. Do you really think I would do that?" she asked. Josh started to stammer and choke up, his emotions overwhelming him. "Oh come on guys," she said with a sigh, "I was only teasing. Can't you take a joke?" She dropped her hands to her sides and shook her head at their reactions. "Honestly."

Mary's eyes narrowed as she towered over the three tiny individuals on the coffee table. They trembled in fear, their small bodies quivering under her immense presence.

After a few moments, James spoke up. "Yeah...," he stammered, sweat beading on his forehead, "we get it. We can take a joke." He paused for just a second. "But it's just really scary when a giant, even you, says something like that, you know?"

"Oh sweetie," Mary said, her face and her tone softening. "You don't have to be scared of me. I would never actually...,"

James' mind flashed back to gruesome image of the tiny painter who met his unfortunate end under his giant aunt's heel. Sure, she would never intentionally harm tinies, or so she claimed, but the fact that she had the ability to crush somebody so small, even accidently, was a terrifying thought.

"You're thinking about that poor tiny painter, aren't you?" Mary asked.

"It did cross my mind," James admitted and chuckled nervously, looking up at his colossal aunt. His mind flashed with images of being at her mercy, succumbing to her every whim. He didn't know whether to be terrified or aroused. He couldn't help but think back to the exhilarating rush of being under Mary's colossal form during their previous encounters. The thought of being toyed with by his giantess aunt sent shivers down his spine.

"Maybe my joke was in poor taste," Mary sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Well, again" she said, looking at the three tiny individuals looking up at her, "I'm sorry about the joke. And I would never actually hurt a tiny person," she paused for a second before adding firmly, "on purpose!"

"We know, Aunt Mary," James squeaked, "it's okay."

"Well, I'm going to freshen up before the take out gets here." She turned on her heels and started walking away, and in just a few booming steps, Mary was around the corner and out of sight. The three tiny companions looked at each other for a minute, processing everything that had happened. They could still hear her thundering around the house, each of her footsteps reverberating loudly through the home as she walked around in nearby rooms.

Michael wasted no time in getting back to what was important to him, his match on Smash Bros that was still paused from earlier.

“Are you sure you don’t want to play?” asked Michael.

Josh just shook his head. “Nah,” he sighed, “I’m good.” He tried to sound like he was okay, but his voice still trembled with heartache. James and Michael couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. They wished there was something they could do, but what was there?

“It might help take your mind off things for a while,” James said.

"Seriously, I'm fine," Josh reiterated.

James just nodded and joined his cousin. He didn't mention any of the weird things that had just happened. And Michael didn't ask him either. Regardless, James knew he'd have to cool it down a few notches. There was only so much teasing and being toyed with that Michael could handle and James didn't want to have anything come between them. And that included Aunt Mary.

The minutes seemed to drag on. And there was no sign of Mary or Chinese food yet. Josh just sat there, solemnly watching James and Michael play their games. He was too heartbroken to even think about playing.

James noticed.

“Man, how do you even know if it’s true?” James asked, trying to be optimistic. “Maybe something got twisted or misunderstood somehow?"

Josh considered the possibility but it didn’t make him feel any better. “Why would Mary lie about that?” Josh reasoned. “There would be no point. It has to be true.”

“Man, I would just wait to talk to Peyton when she gets home, dude,” Michael said. Although he liked Josh, he wasn’t nearly as concerned with his big sister’s love life. "You never know, she might have a totally different perspective on it."

"Yeah Josh, Michael’s right," James agreed, attempting to sound upbeat. "You should hear her side of the story before you jump to any conclusions."

"But your mom-," Josh started.

"Who cares about my mom," Michael said, pausing the game. "Or just ask Peyton, say, hey, I was thinking about our relationship. And then let her take it from there. Just force the issue."

“I suppose…,” Josh sighed. But his heart was still plagued with doubt, and it was hard for him to hold on to hope in the face of such crushing news. Although James and Michael were trying to console him, he couldn’t help but feel alone, and he dreaded the conversation that awaited him with Peyton.

Just then, as if on cue, Peyton walked through the door. In one fluid motion, she dropped her shopping bags and kicked off her flip flops. “Mom!” her voice echoed throughout the house, “I’m home, I got your Sephora stuff!” She took off her sunglasses, revealing her sparkling eyes, and looked over at the three tiny miniscule tinies on the living room coffee table. She tossed her cardigan to the floor and sauntered into the living room with a big smile. 

“How are my favorite little shrunken guys doing?” she asked with a beaming smile, her lips stretching to reveal rows of perfect pearly white teeth. James, however, was distracted by her beautiful bare feet as she elegantly walked across the plush carpet. The smooth expanse of her skin seemed to glow under the soft lighting, and each step she took left an impressive imprint in the carpet's fibers.

Even Josh, though heartbroken, was mesmerized by her beauty, which was accented by her tank top revealing her toned stomach, and her cut-off shorts which proudly displays her toned legs.

Michael, however, could not have cared less about his giant sister's towering presence and arrival. 

“Ahh,” she sighed, “it feels so good to be home!” she sighed, as she flopped on the couch and abruptly propped her bare feet up on the table the three tinies were sitting. The shockwave from her massive heels striking the table created a shockwave that made Michael drop his controller at a critical point in his game and he lost his match.

“Peyton!” he exclaimed, turning to see her towering soles facing him, completely obscuring his view of his colossal sister. “What the hell! Again?!”

“Gosh, you’re so dramatic, little bro!” she giggled. “Just relax, will ya? I’m exhausted and just need to rest my tired feet, that’s all!”  She idly flexed her toes and playfully scrunched her soles back and forth.

“Well go do it somewhere else,” he muttered as he restarted his match.

Peyton just smirked and rolled her eyes. “Always such a drama king!” she said, turning her attention to the other two tinies down at her feet. "Well, hopefully you two are in a better mood than sour pants over there!" 

James’ heart was pounding, the sight of his cousin’s soft soles and towering toes was an excitement he could barely contain, and his jittery movements caught Peyton's eye. "Settle down, little Jamesy, you need to be more subtle, not so...freaky, ya know?"

Her words hit him like a bucket of ice and James felt his color drain as she called him out on his inappropriate thoughts in front of the others. He looked up at her, absolutely mortified as her gigantic eyes beamed down at him with a smirk that melted him. But he just couldn't help it, the urge to drop everything and serve her was too strong.

"S-sorry," he stammered, trying to find his voice, "I-, I just-, it's-"

“Just…, shhh….,” she sighed with a dismissive nod, quieting James right down. Peyton just rolled her eyes at his stammering and focused on Josh instead. 

"Josh, I'm surprised I haven't heard anything about this being a violation of treating tinies with respect." she said, gesturing to her feet being on the table with them. "I mean, I knew James would like it," she flashed a quick teasing wink over to her tiny cousin and then looked back at Josh, "but I thought for sure you would've given me a lecture by now. You alright? I hope my nerd brother and cousin treated you okay. They gave you turns playing, right?"

"Yeah, they've been good," he said, slumping down. He was still heartbroken but trying to play it cool.

"Good," Peyton said, her voice softening. "I'm glad they treated you okay..." She glanced at the table, catching sight of her tiny cousin nervously flinching under her gaze.

“You okay there, James?” she chuckled, a hint mischief in her voice.

James shook his head vigorously and tried to refocus on the game.

Peyton raised an eyebrow at him while smirking before turning her attention back to Josh. "So what's up, babe? You look kinda down there," she said in a softer tone, leaning in closer as if sensing something was off.

'Well, actually...," Josh started. "I've just been thinking...,"

The sound of the doorbell interrupted them and Mary answered the door to get the food.

"Oh man, just in time!" Peyton chirped, pulling her feet off the table, leaning over the tiny boys. "I got back home just in time for lunch!"

Everyone looked over from their position on the coffee table as Mary grabbed the paper bad full of steaming boxes of Chinese food. “Hey everyone! I hope you’re hungry,” she announced cheerfully, closing the door walking into the dining room and setting them down on the table.

Mary walked back into the room, her towering figure looming over three shrunken boys on the living room table. "Come on, Michael," she said. In one swift move, Mary picked up her minuscule son, her warm hands providing a comforting reassurance despite her immense size. Michael squirmed slightly before settling into his mother's expansive palm.

Next came Josh, whose cheeks blushed a deep shade of red as he was delicately lifted into Mary's hand. Despite the embarrassment of being manhandled by the gorgeous giantess, there was a part of him that felt terrified of her still.

Mary began to walk away, leaving the shrunken and defenseless James on the coffee table by himself.

"What about James?" Peyton asked curiously.

"Nope," Mary said, turning around and giving James a knowing smile. "His mother's orders were clear - no free rides and no assistance. He has to walk there himself." With that, Mary reached up to her ear and pulled out her communicator that allowed her to her the tinies when they were too far away. "And just so I don't have to listen to you whine, I'm gonna leave this right here," she said setting the device down on a shelf. She chuckled to herself and continued around the corner and disappeared into the dining room down the hall.

"Oh," Peyton mocked, "that was pretty cold."

James looked up with pleading eyes at his towering cousin. "Peyton, please don't make me walk all the way there again! That sucked last time!"

Peyton's lips curled into a sly smirk as she shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry little guy, but rules are rules," she said in a teasing tone. "Looks like you're going to have to hoof it again."

"Peyton, please," James said, caught in the shadow of the beautiful titaness as she stood up majestically. She was literally the size of a building to him. A living skyscraper, her every movement shaking the ground. Her large chest slightly obscured her smirking face as she playfully looked down at her one inch tall cousin.

"Just be careful down there, tiny guy," Peyton bit her tongue teasingly, "that would suck to accidently..., squash you..." She chuckled tauntingly, her massive breasts, already larger than life, bounced with each giggle.

James gulped. The mere thought of his giantess cousin crushing him underfoot sent shivers of both fear and excitement down his spine.

Just as Peyton was turning to leave her tiny cousin behind, he called up to her. "I'll do anything! I'll even rub your feet!"

Peyton stopped and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Rub my feet?" she asked with a disbelieving expression, looking down at the tiny James. "God, you truly are kinda pathetic, aren't ya?"

"I just really don't wanna walk to the table by myself again," he admitted.

Peyton thought a moment, then smirked. "Okay tiny, you got yourself a deal. But it's gotta be a good one."

"It will be!" James reassured her. "The best!"

All the dirt scrubbed from every inch?" she asked, raising her eyebrows inquisitively.

"Of course!" James answered.

"And the dirt from my toenails?" Peyton chuckled amusedly.

"Gone!" he quipped.

"Moisturizer?" she smiled coyly.

"It wouldn't be a true massage without it," James laughed nervously.

"And uh," Peyton lifted her foot up and placed it directly in front of James, "how about a paint job?" she asked, flexing her toes playfully.

"Oh," James paused and looked up at his smirking cousin, "of course, if that's what you want."

"It is," she rolled her eyes, "that's why I said it, you dork."

"...right...," James stuttered, feeling stupid. He was just too enamored by the overwhelming presence of Peyton towering over him while her toes flexed idly before him.

"So," she said, setting her foot back down and standing up tall, "if you agree to those terms, I'll give ya a ride to the dining room."

"Deal," James said. He was elated, although, he would have preferred his aunt over Peyton, it was still exciting.

"Come here, little buggy," Peyton snorted with laughter, reaching down for her tiny cousin. Those words made James' heart flutter with nervous energy. "There we go," Peyton cooed, cupping him protectively in her hand, holding him close to her chest as she started towards the dining room.

James was a little relieved that he wasn't walking the trek from the living room all the way down the hall and into the dining room himself. But he realized Peyton was right; it was going to be a hell of a lot more work serving and pampering her feet than if he would have just walked. He was thinking through his stupidity when he heard Peyton stop.

"Shit," she muttered, opening her fingers to look at James' tiny form writhing in her soft palm. "Mom's gonna get pissed if she finds out I gave you any help."

"It'll be fine," James shouted up to her. "Just-,"

"Shh!" Peyton quickly silenced him by closing her fist around him, squelching his already minuscule voice. "Hmm," Peyton said, thinking quickly. "Sorry little cuz, this is the best I can do," she said, lifting him up to her ample bosom.

"What?" James exclaimed, watching his giant cousin's breasts come closer and closer, until he was shoved into the warm embrace of her cleavage. "Peyton, you can't!" he managed to protest before he was completely silenced, suffocated between her two mountainous orbs of flesh pressing in on him from both sides. "Shh," Peyton hushed him, adjusting her bra and shirt to accommodate their unexpected guest. "Just for a little bit," she smirked mischievously.