He wasn’t sure if the panic was showing on his face or not, but as he and Delon waited for Penny to arrive, the two barely said a word to each other.

Jack suspected that his friend might well have noticed who they had walked past too, and was probably trying not to alarm him in case he hadn’t noticed her. Delon reached out to snag a book from one of the nearby shelves and flicked through it idly, making eye contact briefly as if to verify Jack was ok. Jack snuck him a half-smile, which was reciprocated meekly, and Delon’s eyes returned to the book. Truth be told, his friend seemed just as startled as he was.

It didn’t take long for Penny to rock up, Jack turning his head as her towering form appeared around the corner of the bookcase that shielded them from view, breaking into a smile as she spied him.

“Hey you two,” she said breezily, crouching down to their level, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have two tiny friends. A simple gesture to accommodate for them, but one that could never be taken for granted; it was all too rare for Alphas to be so considerate for those smaller than themselves.

She clocked the peculiarly downcast expressions on both of their faces, and looked at Jack anxiously.

“Has something happened?” she asked intuitively.

“Um… I’m pretty certain we walked past… you know who,” Jack said hesitantly, looking from Penny to Delon and back again.

“You saw her too? Shit, man,” Delon blurted out, almost spinning on his heel at the realisation. “I wasn’t going to say anything, just in case…”

 “She didn’t see you, though, right?” Penny asked, her fingers fidgeting nervously as she knelt in front of the pair.

“I don’t think so,” Delon expanded, “I didn’t really look at her, though. As soon as I saw her head above the crowd, I kept my eyes down and hoped Jack was doing the same.”

Jack nodded, thinking back to how foolish he’d been by looking up at Hannah – a mistake he would not be making twice.

“She probably would have done something if she saw either of you,” Penny said, before a flash of regret made her face flush.

“Shit… I don’t want to think about it, I’m sorry, me and my stupid mouth,” she said apologetically.

“No, you’re right, she would have,” added Jack darkly, “So that simply means she didn’t see us, and that’s a good thing.”

“Yes… very,” Penny said, looking at them both with relief, her fingers prising themselves apart almost subconsciously.

“You’ve hung in there today, mate,” Delon added, his face returning to a more familiar smile as the gut-wrench sensation of encountering Caitlin began to recede, “You survived.”

“Thanks, Delon,” Jack said, “Thank you… both of you…”

He drew a lot of strength from the two people who cared for him so much. Delon, his oldest friend, and Penny, the only Alpha confidant he’d ever had. He was scared, but having seemingly walked past the enemy unnoticed, there was a little more steel to his resolve now; that he could maybe cope with all of this stress and stay out of trouble did not seem quite such an impossibility.

“Well, I suggest you wait here for about half an hour, and then I’ll walk you home, ok?” Penny ventured to Jack.

“That would be perfect,” he replied, looking from Penny back to Delon.

“In that case, I’m gonna head, guys,” Delon said, putting the book back on the shelf and slinking past Jack, giving him a quick shoulder hug as he did.

Penny scooched over to one side to allow the Beta past, “Stay safe, Delon,” she told him.

“Cheers, and make sure this little one gets home,” he replied, giving her a little wink as he passed her by.

“Until tomorrow,” he said to them both in a half-whisper, aware that this was still the library, and strode off purposefully, leaving the two alone in one corner of the library.

Jack took a moment to register that Delon had gone, and sat himself down on the Beta chair that had been snuck into this specific corner, clearly very tired, but relieved that he was so close to the end of the school day.

“You sure you’re ok?” Penny asked anew, moving a little closer but trying not to crowd him. Her sandy-brown hair swayed slightly from side to side as she manoeuvred herself, the scent of it washing over Jack. She still smelled of comfort, of soft fabric… of safety.

“I think so,” he sighed, “I mean… I’m a bit shook up, but nothing happened… maybe I can stay under her radar for a while… maybe it’s not so bad.”

“I hope you’re right, I don’t mean to worry…” she said, still looking crestfallen, “I really don’t want you to worry either… you’ve been so so brave.”

“I just keep having to tell myself I did it,” he said quietly, “This was the tough first step, I hope it gets easier.”

“I hope so too,” she agreed, “But let’s not talk about it anymore… what do you want to do until we head off?”

“I dunno,” he admitted, “Read some books?” he shrugged, a small smile forming.

“Such a comedian!” she said, feigning wide-eyed astonishment, going along with him effortlessly.

She was so lovely. And kind. Now that the worries were receding, at least for today, he begun to feel a lot more carefree. For the first time in a long time, that part of his brain was switched off. It was liberating to just enjoy talking to someone he liked so much, and not think of anything or anyone else for a while.

They spoke at length about their favourite books, his: sci fi, adventure, the classics, some fantasy, hers: romance, a little horror, the classics, some fantasy. The overlap between what they’d read, and what they’d watched, was genuine, and he felt so at ease in the company of this charming, articulate girl. They took turns disappearing off to grab particular books to show one another, she’d bring oversized copies of things he’d coincidentally already read or at least heard about, and he’d respond by handing her tiny versions of things she seemed to derive great interest from also.

They discussed all sorts of stuff until eventually it felt like a good time to leave, so they gathered their things, and she escorted him from the building and out along the road that led towards where he lived.

“You don’t have to walk me all the way home if you don’t want to, by the way,” he interjected half-jokingly as they continued to talk books and movies. He was a little concerned that she felt he was so… vulnerable, but curious to see if she would still insist on accompanying him – he would rather her stay, of course, he just didn’t want her to do it out of a sense of obligation or pity.

“Oh it’s fine, I’m more than happy to do it,” she replied, smiling down at him. “Besides, I’ve got nowhere better to be.”

A surge of endorphins rushed through his body; the knowledge she wanted to spend time with him was like a natural high.

It didn’t take half as long as he’d hoped to reach his house. Even though it was a fair distance, time absolutely flew by as they spoke, and when he saw the familiar one-storey dwelling come into view, a part of him crumpled, as this was the tipping point where he would be left to his own devices once more. The prospect of another dispiriting evening worrying over going into school once more did not fill him with much joy, especially alongside his parents’ petty squabbling and general disinterestedness in anything beyond their direct field of vision.

“We’re here,” Penny exclaimed brightly, pointing out the thing Jack was so reluctant to acknowledge.

“We are indeed,” he replied, sounding a little tense, thoughts playing on his mind.

“Are you alright?” she said, picking up on his tone immediately, and with good reason.

“No, I’m fine… it’s just…”

He wanted to say that he wanted to spend a little longer with her before she had to go, and that talking to her had made his worries melt away, even if only for an hour or so.

He wanted to say that, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

“I dunno, I feel a bit funny, that’s all.”

“How so?” she asked, “I mean, I’ve got a little time, want to talk about it?”

“Well… if you would,” he said, brightening up significantly. She didn’t appear to notice it might have something to do with her continuing presence, but having a positive effect on his mood seemed to embolden her.

“Sure, of course,” she replied.

“…thank you, Penny,” he said, his heart filling up as he realised he was being gifted this wonderful, and unanticipated, extra time with Penny.

He unlocked the front door quickly and the towering girl stooped down, taking her satchel off her shoulder before entering the doorway and gingerly moving inside so he could close the door behind her. Her dress billowed out a little bit and she had to pat it down, giving him a cute ‘oops’ face as she fought to avoid any embarrassment. She was so pretty, and her outfit looked so good on her; it was strange to see someone he thought of as a friend and confidant in such terms. It was almost as if she had blossomed, and it was hard for him not to have his heart-strings pulled by her radiance; she had no idea how lovely she looked, and how it made him feel around her.

“Do you want a drink or something to eat?” he offered, removing his jacket and putting his bag down in the hallway.

“I’m ok actually,” she said, “…but thank you.”

“Where do you want to sit down, then?” he asked, not really sure where to go…

“Wherever’s comfy, or wherever you’re comfortable,” she responded, “I’m easy.”

“We could go in my room?” he suggested, half-hoping. The idea he could invite someone like Penny into his own personal, intimate space was… overwhelming.

“Yeah, sure, will I fit?” she joked, giving him a crooked smile.

“Only one way to find out…” he warned, gesturing for the giant girl to follow him.

She clambered carefully so as to avoid knocking anything with her long limbs, and made her way to his doorway.

“It’s maybe a bit of a squeeze but don’t worry, if you don’t want to go in you don’t have to,” he said sheepishly, fully aware that this was NOT the most obvious place to entertain an Alpha guest.

“No, I want to peek at your stuff! You’ve seen mine, remember?” she exclaimed, nearly pushing past him to check out what his room was like.

“Ooh, nice,” she cooed, manoeuvring her way into the middle of his room surprisingly easily and sitting with her legs stretched out back towards the door.

She was still slightly taller than he was, even though it was just her upper body that was upright. If he walked over to her he could look her practically square in the eye, if he ever felt the slightest inclination to do something so… forward.

“I like it,” she said, “I think it’s roomier than mine.”

He looked at her with an incredulous face, there was no way his Beta room was even close to her Alpha one.

“Relatively…” she continued, spotting his expression and laughing, “Compared to you, I mean… god…”

“Oh, perhaps,” he said, feeling like a dolt.

“I’m sorry, I’m a bit tired… slow on the uptake,” he admitted.

“No, I get it, it’s been a long day,” she said, “You’ve done so well.”

He stepped over her recumbent legs as she looked around nosily, and sat down on the bed a few feet from her torso. The vista he had, of her sitting on his floor, was surreal in the extreme. He had wondered countless times what it would be like to have someone so out-of-scale in this room… the truth was… it was incredible. She dwarfed everything, dominating the room, but she was perfectly happy to be there, looking at everything with interest.

“I like your posters,” she said, gesticulating at the two he had on his wall; a black-and-white photo print of a skyscraper, and a movie poster from an oldish sci-fi flick he’d mentioned to her in passing earlier.

“Yeah,” he said, “If you’ve not seen it, I highly recommend it,” he explained.

“I’ll definitely check it out,” she said, looking back to him with a slightly more serious face, giving him her full attention.

“So, what’s on your mind?” she asked, leaning her torso forward and resting her long arms on her knees, propping up her head.

“It's not just one thing, it's complicated...” he replied - it wasn’t so much being home, as feeling alone, not being able to talk to her in particular, being left to dwell on his darkest thoughts and concerns.

“It’s gotta be all this Caitlin stuff, I can understand if you’re still unable to process it…” she went on.

“Some of it is,” he said, “I just feel… listless… useless… pathetic…”

“Oh…” she said, taken aback a bit, “…that's not good.”

“It’s like I don’t know who I am right now, in a way,” he said, saying the first things that came into his mind, but avoiding making mention of how, right now, the thing he was dreading most was having to watch her walk out of the door and not see her for a while.

He took a breath.

“I used to think I had stuff figured out; work hard, keep your nose clean, it’ll pay off in the end… I haven’t felt like that for a while. When I’m on my own, my self-doubts consume me a bit, I can’t find things to distract me anymore, like I’m trapped in my own head…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said.

“Do you get like that too?” he asked, rubbing the side of his head with his fingers as if to relieve the strain on his mind.

“Yeah, quite a lot, especially when I was struggling with the growth hormone when I was younger,” she said drily. “I used to long to go outside, or meet more kids my age, but I wasn’t really able to, I became very introverted, just sat thinking about things and wondering.”

“That’s tough,” he said, “But you’re a lot better now, right?”

“For a few years I’ve been pretty stable, so I’ve been able to catch up for lost time a bit. The growth is constant but manageable,” she replied candidly, “It will stop eventually, or so they keep telling me, but for the moment at least, they won’t intervene, even if I’m still slowly getting taller.”

“Do you worry that it won’t stop for a while, and you’ll get too tall?” he asked, a little on-the-nose, but she didn’t seem too fussed by the directness of the question.

“Sometimes,” she said, “I mean, I don’t mind being tall that much anymore, I’ve already overcome a lot of… problems, so a few more inches now won’t change anything.”

“You like being tall?” he asked.

“Yes and no. I definitely don’t like being singled out, people still call me things behind my back, though that’s perhaps also because I’m an oddball, but I don’t react to it. Being tall has grown on me though, and it’s not like it makes much difference with us, does it? I bet us giants all look the same to you anyway.”

“Not really,” he said “I can see you’re taller than most other Alpha girls, but it’s all relative.”

“I was never meant to be this tall, you see,” she stated, “My parents aren’t, they’re pretty short, actually. The growth hormone really did a number on me.”

“…I’m sorry,” Jack said sadly.

“What for?” she replied, her face genuinely curious.

“I don’t know… being nosy… asking about your height… that people have been mean to you,” he shrugged.

“I just wanted friends, now I have a few, even though I’m mostly seen as this awkward lanky girl… I’m happier now than I’ve been for a long time… and I get to be friends with you too…” she added, smiling at him.

“You lucky so-and-so,” he said self-deprecatingly, allowing himself to smile.

She smiled back, scratching the back of her arm as if she was nervous.

“Jack, can I ask you a serious question?” she said suddenly, her eyes sparkling with an intensity that was not there a moment ago.

“Yes…” he replied, straightening up a little, curious to see where this was going.

“Would you like me more if I were Beta?” she asked, very directly.

She had absolutely pinpointed the thing he had pondered at length, dreamed about, even. He wasn’t fully prepared for the question, but he knew the answer he should probably give.

“You’d still be you, I think I’d like you no matter what,” he said calmly.

“But if I were… you know, smaller… like you,” she pressed.

He felt awkward. He would maybe feel less intimidated around her if she was a Beta, but, if he was honest with himself, he loved who she was right now; he loved that she was so tall, yet so kind, it encompassed everything that he found so noble, and admirable, about her.

It was like a part of his mind was suddenly thrown into crystal clear focus - would he ever have wanted her to change, did he really look at her and envisage her being any different? The real answer, the one he was looking for, was no. She was perfect just the way she was.

“Well… would you prefer me if I were an Alpha?” he asked, straight-batting it back at her, not really sure entirely himself why he didn’t want to answer her question directly.

“No,” she replied instantaneously, “Of course not.”

“Not at all?” he asked.

“Not at all,” she reiterated.

He paused thoughtfully. His own non-answer now weighing a little heavily on his mind.

“I don’t think you see yourself the same way I see you,” she said.

“I guess not,” he shrugged, almost trying to shrug off the importance of what was being discussed. He was aware he was being a bit flippant, a sign that he was tired, and not quite himself.

“Well, what do you think I see when I look at you?” she asked, shifting her weight as she remained seated.

He could sense the gravity behind her words.

“I dunno…” he said, realising he really had to start giving some answers here.

“Sometimes, I think you see me as a little guy who needs saving all the time…” he said bleakly.

“Someone who can’t look after himself, who is vulnerable, gets upset all the time, I don’t know… I don’t know what you see…” he admitted, feeling his mood turn sour.

He had felt like this before, the first time she had walked him home. This had the same sickening inevitability about it.

She looked at him, her expression becoming noticeably wistful and sad.

“I don’t see you like that at all,” she replied quietly, almost like she was talking to herself.

The girl looked down.

He knew he was being downcast, and that he should not pass his frustrations on, but it was how he felt right now. Penny was so open; he trusted her, and whilst he didn’t want to hurt her or make her feel bad, he would rather be honest, even if it made her want to leave. He was still not in a good place, and talking wasn’t easy for him sometimes.

“Jack, do you remember when you kissed me.”

The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up.

“…yes…” he said in a small voice, embarrassed that she had not only remembered it, but was making mention of it out of the blue.

Penny’s head was still bowed.

“Why did you do it?” she asked softly. There was a slight tremble of emotion in her voice.

He felt his heart rate elevate, discomfort and panic setting in as he didn’t know how to respond.

“I don’t know, I was tired, emotional… wasn’t thinking,” he said, vaguely aware of how… blunt… that sounded, yet again, but numb to it.

“Oh…” she said, “Ok…”

It slowly hit him just how harsh his words might have sounded, and what she might well have been trying to find out…

He was almost certainly in the midst of fucking everything up again… alienating someone who didn’t deserve it in the slightest, and he had brought it all upon himself…

She just looked down at the floor, neither of them could think of anything to say… it was a heart-breakingly long pause.

Neither Penny nor Jack were able to conjure up any words from the ether.

It was agonising.

“I should probably go…” Penny eventually said.

“Please… don’t,” Jack said, leaning forward abruptly.

“I’m sorry for asking awkward questions…” she began, her head still bowed. He could hear she was very upset, “I’m not helping at all, you need rest, not me causing you grief.”

“Please don’t go,” he reiterated.

“Why not?” she asked, not cattily, but out of curiosity.

He paused.

“B-because…” he stammered, his throat going dry as a bone.

He might as well admit it.

“Because…I don’t want you to leave…” he admitted quietly, barely a whisper.

Her head finally raised up and he could see that she was flushed red, just like him, and her face was stained with tears.

“I don’t want to leave either…” she said softly, drying her eyes clumsily.

She truly was as vulnerable as him.

“I feel like I can talk to you, really talk to you… I like you so much, Jack,” she said, welling up a little.

“I really like you too,” he said, struggling to contain his own emotions.

He wiped a tear from his own eye - the emotional distance between them had been reduced to zero. The connection they’d currently established was as unbroken and unyielding as steel; their eyes were locked, trying to come to terms with the moment.

“I thought you’d not want anything to do with me, that you’d be scared of my size, or that you’d avoid me like other people do. I saw the way other Alphas treated Betas, how it was expected to be, and I kept my distance, but I saw you round school all the time… you hadn’t really changed from how I remember you.”

He was in quiet disbelief at the words tumbling from this beautiful girl.

“I wanted to reach out, and say hi, but you had no idea who I was, you’d be wary, assume I was just another giant looking to take advantage of you or throw you around… and I convinced myself of that the whole time…”

She wiped her eyes, still looking at him intensely.

“But when you kissed me… it lit a spark in me… that maybe you might see me the way I see you…”

He swallowed hard, the tears were flowing from his own eyes to match hers.

“That I wasn’t just some big clumsy thing, that you saw me as more than that girl you used to know… I know we’ve not spoken that much, but it feels like I’ve known you such a long time… I’ve liked you for such a long, long time…”

He didn’t know what to say. He was overwhelmed and dumbstruck at all of this. He’d known she was fond of him, that much was obvious, but the depth and similarity of the feelings she was expressing was almost too much to process. This towering, wonderful girl seemingly reciprocated his own complex, heartfelt emotions, and despite their obvious differences, their spirits were kindred – bonded by their experiences and the level of affection they shared.

“If this all sounds really stupid and I’m barking up the wrong tree just tell me to stop, I don’t want to embarrass myself further…” she added finally, looking to him to put her out of her misery one way or the other.

He was acutely aware he hadn’t budged an inch, hardly taken a breath, since she started speaking.

“…”

Her expression was slowly morphing into one of agitation, his reticence adding to her sense of having done something idiotic, of having judged this whole situation completely wrong, and freaking out someone who was under so much stress already. He could see her start to falter, and did the only thing he ever really wanted to do all along...

In one movement he stood to his feet and brought his face towards hers. Before his agitated mind could talk him out of it, he leant forward and pressed his lips to hers and closed his eyes. She didn’t move a muscle for a few seconds as his mouth sunk into the intoxicating warmth of her much larger lips, he felt the silkiness of her oversized skin, how unspeakably close he was to a human being so much larger than himself. He could feel a slight stickiness to the surface of her cheek where she had been crying; the subtle scent of tears drying on her sweet face.

With surprising gentleness, he felt her lips press back against his with real emotion, and enormous fingers clasp over the right side of his face ever so delicately, cradling his head as she kissed him back passionately.

He could feel her breathing deeply through her nostrils, the sound of the rushing air almost like being close to a steam locomotive. She was so much more powerful than him, but the feeling was of absolute, unshakeable security; of being cherished more than anything else in the world for this singular moment in time.

She overwhelmed his lips for a few seconds with her maw’s considerable embrace before hesitating and withdrawing, concern etched on her face, which was, if anything even redder than before.

Tears rolled down her face once more as what happened began to sink in, her face etched in half-joy, half-disbelief.

Neither of them spoke.

They didn’t need to.