Outside, it was still raining but a lot less heavily, more like a kind of drizzle. Jack made sure that his jacket was securely buttoned up and strode forwards towards the patch of long grass, Penny flanking him from one side, her towering, lengthy form overtaking him easily and venturing ahead to show him the way back through the trees.

They didn’t really talk for a while - he was lost in his own thoughts, and just tried to walk as fast as he could alongside Penny. Quite quickly he realised was getting exceptionally tired, and he was struggling to keep up the pace. He knew Penny could sense this, but he didn’t want to let her down, he kept his head down and grit his teeth, concentrating on the relentless path ahead for what felt like a pretty long time.

His legs were beginning to fail him. His footsteps were clumsy, uneven. There was probably still a mile or more left as they approached a Beta-scale bench by the roadside, where he finally succumbed to his exertion and sat down to get his breath back.

“I can carry you from here,” Penny suggested kindly, “If you’re tired.”

“No no, it’s fine, I just need a second,” he gasped, visibly out of breath. It would be emasculating, and a bit embarrassing, for her to carry him like a kid brother or something. He’d already said he could do the walk, maybe he was still deceptively weak from everything; he certainly should be able to walk further than this.

The tall girl sat down next to the small bench, and looked at him intensely, worry etched on her face. She looked away from him momentarily, and then turned back. Despite the grey and moody weather, her eyes shone brightly.

“I just want you to know, Jack, that I think you’re very brave,” she said suddenly.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I don’t think, if I were in your shoes, I could have coped. I know how you feel about Alphas, and I know that what Caitlin has done will forever colour your experiences with people bigger than you, but I will never, ever make you feel the way she did.”

He noticed she was nervously fidgeting with her hair as she continued to speak. It seemed like she had been waiting for quite a while to talk to him.

“It means a lot to me that you would tell me something so… personal, and difficult, I feel like it’s rare to have someone who would open up like that… and I appreciate the courage it took.”

He wanted to thank her, but she appeared to be searching for more words. He listened intently, much like she had patiently listened to him earlier.

“I think it’s only fair to be honest with you too… I have been really worried about how much larger I am, and how you view me… It will probably seem creepy to you, but for years now I wanted to talk to a Beta my age, and share my interests and passions for Beta things… I’m worried that, in my desperation, I will scare you off, and with all you’ve been through, you can only see me as a giant and not as an equal.”

He noticed her eyes were glossy with emotion as she bowed her head despondently.

“I never… wanted, to be this way, but around you, I sometimes forget the size difference even though it’s so obvious. I just… I don’t know. It feels different. And I want you to know, that if me being this way can help you, I want to help you, I really do… more than anything. It does nothing for me, I don’t need or want to feel this big, or this awkward or clumsy, but with you, it makes me feel… useful, like I can help.”

“I’m sure this is coming across as really stupid,” she laughed nervously, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve, “But being around you makes me feel a bit better about myself, and, I guess I don’t want that feeling to go away.”

He wanted to say something profound and seize upon this moment, but his tongue was stuck in his throat. He wanted to tell her that he felt there was something special between them, but he had no prior experience with which to compare, and he doubted his own feelings that bit too much. He wanted to say that he admired her far more than he could begin to explain, and to reassure her that he understood exactly the point she was making, but words failed him.

“I just want to help you without making you feel small, I think that’s what I’m trying to say,” she summarised, looking over at him sadly.

“Because… I just see you as a person.”

He nodded soberly, blinking away his own tears.

“I know you do,” he said eventually, his voice cracking, his lips quivering as he clammed up, trying to compose himself.

“Please, Jack, let me take you home, you’re obviously very tired, I don’t want my size to force you into over-exerting yourself,” the giant girl said, placing a large hand next to his on the arm of the bench.

“…You’re right…” he admitted, “I just don’t want you to think less of me, to take pity on me.”

Her eyes widened slightly, she looked astonished.

“Pity?! Jack, I’m still trying to come to terms with how much braver you are than I could hope to be, I couldn’t pity you if I wanted to!” she said, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of his statement.

“You’ve got the heart of a lion, you know that?” she continued, “Don’t let anyone take that spark from you.”

His face flushed slightly red, he didn’t expect to hear such wonderful, empowering words. Not least, because this incredible support was coming from someone he looked up to so much.

“You’re a beautiful person, Penny,” he said, looking into her eyes deeply.

She smiled back at him, and then looked down at her hand, removing it from the arm rest before hauling herself to her feet, towering high above him.

“Ooh, I’m all nervous now,” she said from her lofty position.

“Why?” he asked, in a small voice, craning his neck.

“Because I’ve got to pick you up,” she explained, looking down at him.

She bent her knees down until she was crouching right in front of him, and extended her arms forward either side of him, a coy little smile on her face.

“I feel stupid now… I shouldn’t have made such a song and dance about this,” she admitted.

He made it easier for her by standing up, allowing her to scoop an arm around his back and under his legs so she could cradle him carefully and raise him up to her torso. It felt completely surreal; he knew he’d been carried by her before, but he could barely recall the mechanics of that situation, it had been such a stressful and sudden thing.

This was very different, he was completely aware of the warm, careful hold she had on him, and being so close to her was intoxicating. He was terrified that at any moment the sheer proximity would trigger something acutely embarrassing, especially seeing as he was so close to the gentle swell of her bosom and the soft embrace of her arms, but so far he appeared to be holding his nerve.

“Are you ok like this, it’s not too uncomfortable?” she asked, her beautiful face turning to face his, barely inches away. Her wide, glorious eyes, lightly freckled skin and delicate lips were not just close enough to touch, they were close enough to kiss.

“I’m fine,” he said, sheepishly, to which she returned a cute smile, pressing her lips together as if she was holding something back.

“I don’t want to tease you, but you’re light as a feather,” she disclosed impishly, her warm breath washing over his face. It wasn’t unpleasant, merely a reminder of the vast size disparity.

“Maybe you just don’t know your own strength,” he replied, a mite cheekily, to show he was game.

“Touché,” she responded, setting off along the pathway, her enormous frame swaying slightly as her hips set in motion.

It was exhilarating to be up so high, with a very different vantage point of his neighbourhood compared to normal. The sensation was a little like the flying one you sometimes have in your dreams, where you inexplicably hover up in the air, but arguably it felt more like being in the crow’s nest of a ship or something, rolling with the gentle motion of the sea.

Occasionally, he would point the way, or tell Penny something about the area, which she listened to with interest as she carried him effortlessly. She didn’t seem remotely perturbed by holding him so close, and even though he still felt awkward about it. That feeling was being replaced with something more… nourishing.

He still felt the spectre of potential embarrassment hanging in the air, especially the prospect of someone seeing him in her arms like a child, but both the inclement weather, and the speed at which she was whisking him home, reduced the likelihood of that occurring with each passing step.

It didn’t take long for her to round the corner of the road, and approach the house. She let him down gently at the porch, and he unlocked the door, inviting her inside.

“Oh shit, what time is it?” she said, sliding her sleeve back to reveal a small, old-fashioned style watch.

Jack felt his heart sink a little, his time was with her was going to be cut short once more.

“Crap, it’s nearly 4 ‘o’ clock,” she read out, aghast, looking down at him with a pained expression, “Jack, I’m really sorry, I need to get back home right now, my parents are going to be expecting me very soon.”

Masking his disconsolation as bravely as he could, he gave her an appreciative smile.

“Ok, no worries,” he said positively, standing by the porch as the giantess gingerly knelt down. To watch her compact herself down from a 13’ foot tall titan to something approaching his level was so extraordinary, a very simple action, but a very meaningful one.

“I will be there for you tomorrow, ok?” she said, bringing her hands either side of his shoulders and gently gripping him with her long, slender fingers.

“Stay strong,” she smiled, tilting her head forwards a fraction so her eyes appeared to be burrowing fiercely into his, giving his shoulders a noticeable squeeze. He could feel her power, which ordinarily would have been quite scary, intimidating even, but in this instance it triggered a surge of electricity to rush from the balls of his feet to the back of his neck, making his hair almost stand up on end.

This girl believed in him.

“I will try,” he said, almost involuntarily standing that little bit straighter, taller, prouder.

As time slowed down, Penny leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on his left cheek. He closed his eyes. He could feel himself welling up, and fought to push the feeling back down. Unlike the quick sympathy peck on his forehead at her home, he could feel the warmth of her lips as she lingered slightly, as if to calm him, the larger-than-life sensation of her enormous lips being so delicate was… overwhelming.

She removed her lips from his skin as his eyes reopened, still looking at him radiantly, and she got to her feet surprisingly lightly for one so large.

“Bye Jack,” she said softly, giving him a little wave, all at once very shy and timid, almost embarrassed.

“Bye,” he replied in a whisper, barely audible even to himself, and watched as she carefully turned on her heel and walked back towards the main road.

As she began to stride away, she turned back to him, her eyes meeting his, and whilst his vision was blurry at that kind of range, he felt, for the very first time, that maybe her kiss was a sign of something more.