It’s the middle of the night as a tiny, humanoid figure darts across the bedroom floor. The minuit creature stands no taller than a can of soda, so it makes little noise as it moves through the shadows, making its way towards a massive, metal structure- it’s the bed belonging to the house’s current tenant, standing impossibly tall like some kind of monument in the eyes of the tiny borrower. He adjusts his round rimmed glasses which catch the moonlight pouring through the window as he peers up at the bed. There's suddenly a lump in his throat that he struggles to swallow. Goodness, how did he get himself into this situation?
You see, Arthur was born into a colony of borrowers residing in the house, and his whole life the being who lived amongst them was the same old lady. She was relatively harmless despite being of gigantic proportions compared to the colonists. She was practically blind, nearly entirely deaf and incredibly gentle- literally wouldn’t harm a fly. This made the survival of the tiny people in the walls much easier. Their expeditions out into the house were always low risk, and the rewards were often bountiful. Even Arthur who was clumsier and less skilled than most of the other scouts would safely venture into the kitchen on occasion to collect goods, but this all changed drastically after the old woman passed away.
Things became much more complicated when the new tenant moved in. He was young, unpredictable, much more aware of his surroundings. Arthur was taken out of the scouting rotation entirely- only the most skilled scouts were allowed to venture out at first while everyone adjusted to this new being. In fact, Arthur had never even seen the young tenant. He’d only ever heard about him. The borrowers who’d seen him had a lot to say- apparently he was very handsome and pretty, and he had an interesting lineage. Taika was a fire genasi which meant he had some distinct features- warm toned, reddish skin, irises that swirled with multicolored flame and flesh that ran unnaturally hot.
Many of the colonists would gush about him, going on and on about his roguish good looks and his muscular body. On ocassion, Arthur would hear his voice through the walls and it would make him blush- everyone just painted such an attractive picture of the man and the sound of his voice was distinct and alluring. He had what larger beings would call an accent- an indication that they’d traveled from another land. From someone who had never left the house he was born in, that really stood out.
Over the weeks, Arthur started getting restless. Still not cleared to venture out into the house, he was stuck on organizational duties, scheduling and the like. But the new tenant really slowed everything down, even the desk work. His sleep schedule was erratic, he would constantly invite over guests. It made it difficult for the borrowers to strategize their borrowing trips. Food and other supplies were starting to run low and Arthur found himself growing frustrated. How could their entire colony be helpless to one clueless person?
“He can’t be that difficult to steal from,” he huffed at some of the other borrowers one day. Arthur was a smart, kind boy, but sometimes his naivety could make him come across a little bratty. Some of the other colonists his age would tease him for having his nose in books or how his big glasses fit his face. So, when he started complaining about their progress out in the field, they rolled their eyes at him.
“Do you think you could do better, Arthur?”
Arthur should have just shut up right there, but something about the state of everything was making him feel argumentative, and the next thing he knew, his peers were daring him to steal the necklace off of Taika’s neck while he slept and he was agreeing to do just that.
That’s why we find him scaling the side of Taika’s bed, using a piece of the blanket draping off the mattress like a rope. Arthur’s hands are shaky and clammy as he climbs. Why on Earth would he agree to something so stupid? Expeditions would make him nervous back when it was just the old lady, now he’s going to crawl into the bed of a handsome fire genasi? He feels like he could throw up as he reaches the top, taking a moment to catch his breath and assess what’s in front of him.
It’s so dark that he can barely make anything out. It just looks like a mountain of shadows and fabric, but he can clearly hear something very large steadily breathing. Arthur gulps and nearly turns around to head back, but he can sense the eyes of his friends on him. He wants to prove them wrong and just get this over with… he takes a deep breath and holds it as he marches forward, praying that the sleeping giant stays asleep while he robs him. The bed beneath his feet is so soft and warm and gets exponentially warmer the further he moves forward. He knows genasi are supposed to run warmer than other beings but gosh, the heat is almost overwhelming. It makes his eyelids heavy, like he could curl up for a nap, but the warm, pleasant feeling quickly disappears when he finally sees him.
He's asleep, thankfully. He’s lying on his back, his head propped up on a pillow. He’s huge. The pretty face of the genasi man takes up nearly all of Arthur’s view. Gosh, he knew the creatures they lived amongst were gigantic but nothing could have prepared him for just how big that really was. He feels frozen, like he’s just walked into the lair of a dangerous monster and his every move from here on is life or death. His peers were right, though- if the man in front of him weren’t so monstrously large, he’d probably just be standing in awe of his beauty. He has a sharp jawline, high cheekbones, sleek, shoulder length black hair. The reddish hue of his skin, along with the perfectly groomed black mustache resting beneath his nose makes him almost reminiscent of the devil himself.
Arthur ponders the words “devilishly handsome” as he takes a moment to center himself. Okay… what was it he needed to steal again? His necklace… the borrower’s eyes land on something shiny. The pretty giant wears a collection of gold earrings on his long, pointed ears. Arthur’s gaze drifts down to the giant’s long neck and sure enough, a shiny gold chain gleams in the moonlight. His friends are in shock as they watch Arthur clamber onto Taika’s bare chest. Apparently, he’s just going for it. What an idiot!
The borrower can’t believe the sensation of standing on top of the giant. His flesh is so incredibly warm. It’s like a warmth he’s never felt before- and his scent! He knows big folk have the luxury of wearing cologne and soaps made with perfumes, but no one has ever smelled so good before. There’s also an alluring smoky scent- must be the natural smell of a fire genasi, like burning charcoals or the lingering smell of a campfire. Arthur ponders just curling up here to die. That wouldn’t be so bad, right? At least he’d die intoxicated by this creature’s warmth, with the dull thud of a heart beating beneath him.
He’s as pale as a ghost as he reaches for the delicate gold chain on Taika’s neck, realizing that the clasp is crooked. Thankfully, that means he won’t have to climb much further. If he can just unclasp the necklace, he can make a run for it. He gently tugs at the chain, pulling the clasp towards him a bit- that’s when he feels the giant’s chest rise dramatically. Oh god- he probably felt the chain dragging across his skin. Arthur freezes as he feels a deep rumble which can only be the sound of a gentle moan escaping Taika’s lips as he wakes. Arthur’s eyes daringly dart up to the genasi’s face, stomach dropping as he’s met with two, glowing eyes peering directly at him.
Shoot. Shoot! SHOOT! Of course, that was something else that differentiated Taika from the old lady- he could see in the dark! Arthur grips the chain with all of his strength and tries to tear out of there, the image of those giant, glowing eyes shaking him to his core. He feels something big and powerful swoop past him as the giant groggily grabs for the intruder with his hand. Arthur could just die.
He feels the weight of the chain slowing him down as he runs and he knows he should just ditch it, but he’s come so far… he slings the chain off of the bed and it falls to the floor with a clunk. He can feel the victim of the robbery rise from his reclined position, causing everything around Arthur to shift. He lets out an undignified squeak as he leaps for the blanket he used to scale the bed. The friction burns his hands as he clings to the fabric and plummets down to the floor, definitely rolling his ankle as he lands.
Despite his injuries, he picks up the chain once more and drags it behind him as he sprints back to the crack in the wall. His little heart has never pounded so hard in his entire life. This is undoubtedly the scariest and most exciting thing that’s ever happened to him. He has to at least survive it. He hears heavy footsteps following after him as he dives head first through the hole in the wall, desperately pulling the chain in behind him. Those massive footsteps get closer and closer, but Arthur is blessed that the giant he just burgled is too sleepy and disoriented to pursue him.
His chest heaves as he stares at the wall, terrified that a giant hand is gonna come crashing through to grab him. After a few panicked moments, he hears the footsteps dissipate, and his whole body just collapses against the ground. What on Earth did he just do?
He’s still clinging to the chain when his friends come rushing towards him in concern and excitement. They help him sit up and he’s met with pats on the back and hugs.
“Arthur, you’re insane, man!! He didn’t see you, did he?”
Arthur pales, recalling how it felt to be caught in the sights of those glowing, fiery eyes.
“N-no, he didn’t see me…”
Arthur retires to his room that night with newfound respect from his peers, and a gorgeous gold chain spooled up on his makeshift dresser (a box of matches). He stares up at the ceiling from his bed, haunted by the lie he told- he was definitely spotted tonight which means he was about to find himself in a whole mess of trouble