Eli stood on the edge of the sink as Parker filled it. His attempts to talk were drowned by the faucet. It expelled water like a firehose, interrupted periodically as Parker tested the temperature with her fingertips. She didn’t even look at him. Was she ignoring him?

She went to the shower and returned, then rubbed her hands together in the water. After bubbles formed on the surface, she turned the water off and dried her hands.

“It’s ready,” she said, finally giving him her attention.

“Can we just talk? I don’t really need a bath.”

“Just get in. It’ll give us an excuse to talk longer. It’s the first chance I’ve had to be alone with you and I don’t want to waste it.”

“Ok, uh...can you get my bathing suit? It’s on the floor in my living room.”

“Bubbles.” She pointed. “I won’t be able to see anything.” She sat on the toilet, facing away from him. “Let me know if it’s too hot or cold.”

He stripped down to his boxers and eyed the drop off into the water below. It looked too far to jump, so he slid down the side instead. He landed in warm water that came up to his chest. As he waded further toward the center, it reached his neck, bubbles drifting away as he exhaled on them. She’d made it the perfect temperature, just enough to relax without overheating.

Her face appeared on the horizon, lower than before. She must be sitting on the stool. “You didn’t get fully undressed did you?”

“Um…”

“Is it because you don’t trust me?” Her gaze dropped. “I wouldn’t blame you. Not after what I did with Zoey.”

“It’s not that.” Here it was, the dreaded ‘talk’. Although he’d anticipated it for days, he hadn’t prepared anything specific. “It’s just...this premie thing is so new. I’m not sure I want a girlfriend right now. Especially...well…”

“Especially someone who’s bisexual?” she asked. “You should know Zoey and I broke up. We were never really going out. We just kissed. I could tell you were uncomfortable with the whole polyamory thing.”

“Yeh.” He was a bit uncomfortable with it, but it wasn’t his primary concern. “I was going to say ‘especially a human’.”

“Oh…” She narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t been bound much, have you?”

He exhaled a sigh of relief. He’d expected his confession to upset her. “Not really. A few times. I try to avoid it...usually.” He didn’t want to admit asking for it at the pool the other day.

“You’re a lot less nervous now than you were when I saw you a few days ago. Ever wonder why?”

He shrugged, remembering back to waking up as a premie for the first time, afraid of literally everything. “I suppose I’m just getting used to it.”

“It’s because of binding,” she said. “You should get bound at least twice a day, especially since you’re a new premie. Your fear of humans will disappear, just like Haley. You’ll see me less like a giant and more like...well hopefully more like the way you did at school.”

She sure did know a lot about this stuff. Still, something bothered him. “Even if that’s true, I can’t understand why you’d still want to be my girlfriend. I mean...I’m smaller than your hand. I can’t protect you, or take you on a date, or do anything for you.”

“You can talk to me.” She half smirked. “Maybe respond to my texts every once in awhile.”

“Sorry.” If she’d intended to make him feel guilty, she’d succeeded.

“I don’t need you to protect me, or anything like that. I’m not a typical girl, if you hadn’t noticed.” She winked at him, her nose stud glinting. “I just need you to trust me. Be honest with your feelings and communicate. Think you can do that?”

“Yeh but…I still don’t understand why you like me.”

“Have a little confidence in yourself.” She dipped a forefinger into the water and flicked, splashing his face with suds.

“Hey!” He splashed back and soon they were at war, water flying everywhere. One flick in particular sent a torrent of water at his head, filling his mouth and eyes. He coughed. “Ok, ok, you win!”

“Never pick a fight with someone twenty times taller than you,” she said, smiling. “Especially if she’s you’re girlfriend.”

“Lesson learned.” He laughed while still sputtering water.

Her eyes studied him. The bubbles surrounding him had dissipated somewhat, likely giving her a view of his body underneath the water.

“I think it’s time you lost the boxers.” Her hand came into view.

“No!” He kicked backwards.

She sighed. “I thought you agreed to trust me.”

“I do, but...it’s too embarrassing.” The heat in his cheeks wasn’t from the water.

“Hmmm. How about we make it fair? Ask me to remove any article of clothing and I will. Sound good?”

He shook his head. “That would be even more embarrassing.”

***

Parker’s heart quickened in her chest.

Eli refused to engage in anything remotely intimate. Like a typical boy, he didn’t talk much. Like a typical girl, he lacked confidence. And like her typical self, she found his combination of masculine and feminine characteristics attractive. Combined with his status as a premie, he was…

Irresistible.

“Do you still like me?” she asked. She knew the answer already — she could see it through the water’s surface — but the question would help him deal with his feelings.

“Of course.” He waded to one of the few spots where bubbles remained.

She slowly lowered her hand into the water. “Do you trust me enough to let me bind you?”

“Um, I’d rather you didn’t.”

“I promise I won’t make you take off your underwear.” She traced her submerged fingers along his back and legs. “Please? It’ll make you a lot less nervous.” She questioned her ability to stop herself even if he’d refused.

His feet touched her pinkie. Rather than recoil as she’d expected, he used it to stand a bit higher in the water. “Ok, but make it quick. I don’t want my sisters to know.”

Wow. She hadn’t expected him to agree to it so fast. He really did trust her. To think — she’d almost ruined everything by kissing his ex. She didn’t deserve a boyfriend like him. She’d find a way to make it up to him.

“Hands by your sides.” Carefully, she wrapped her fingers around his partially submerged body. As soon as her fingertips touched his pressure points, he exhaled and most of his body went limp, all except for a spot which she wouldn’t draw attention to.

“How is it?” she asked.

“Perfect.” He blinked lazily at her. “You’re really good at this...thanks.”

“No need to thank me. This is just one of the many side benefits of having a human for a girlfriend.” He’d never be truly happy with a premie like Haley, and she intended to prove it to him.

“I guesss-so,” he said, slurring his words.

“You feel really good, don’t you?” she asked, surprised by the almost immediate reaction she felt from his pelvic area. He really was quite susceptible to suggestion.

“Mmmmmhmmm,” he said, arching his back in her hand. Then, his eyes opened wider. “Um, maybe we should stop.”

“Do you want me to stop?” She honestly didn’t know if she should continue or not. She knew what she wanted him to experience, but she’d have to tread carefully. She wouldn’t lose his trust again.

He inhaled slowly. “Maybe just a little longer.”

She smiled, loving the feeling of him in her hand. She could make him do just about anything at this point. She was certain of it. Yet, she just wanted him to be happy and comfortable around her.

“Eli, if tell you to feel even better, you probably will, but you might get embarrassed or mad at me later. Still, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. So if you want me to command you to feel good, I will.”

“But I already feel good,” he said.

“You’ll feel even better if I command it. It’s up to you. I’d like you to experience it, but I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Ok. Just once so I can see what it’s like. And for the record, I’ve always trusted you, even after you kissed Zoey. I’ve just been selfish lately...not responding to your text messages. I apologize.”

“Awww.” She lifted him dripping from the water, toward her face. “I’m going to kiss you, ok?”

He nodded just before she planted her lips on his face. It was a light kiss, but she held him there long enough to feel his body respond as she desired. After finally pulling him away, she spoke.

“You feel twice as good as you feel right now.”

He inhaled sharply and his little arms pressed outward, weakly, against her fingers. His mouth opened as he tried to speak. “It’s too — too — “

His body spasmed in her hand as he thrust against her fingers, over and over again. His lips sealed shut as if he were suppressing something inside his chest, and his little face screwed into a mask of pleasure.

After it stopped, he turned a deep shade of red. “Uh...I’m so sorry. It just —”

“Stop saying you’re sorry, because I’m not.” She tried to speak calmly, even though the experiment had done more than arouse just him. “I’m glad it happened. It just means you feel really comfortable around me, and that makes me happy.”

“It does?”

“Yes, silly. It’s biology, right? Nothing to be embarrassed about.” She returned him to the water, though she didn’t release him. “Wanna do it again?”

***

Yes.

He wanted to do it again, but he had to decline her offer. In spite of everything she said, he felt as if he’d be taking advantage of her, using her, even though she didn't seem to mind in the least. Still, it was hard to resist. He’d never experienced such a sudden rush of euphoria, much of which still lingered, making it difficult to be anything other than...happy.

“I feel so good right now.”

She giggled. “Told ya. Though if you really want to thank me, you’ll do me a favor.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Let me help give you a bath.”

“Uh —”

“C’mon. I’ll be discrete. You only need to relax and let me do all the work.”

Whether it was because she still bound him or because he felt terrific, he didn’t know. But he trusted her completely and wanted to please her. If giving him a bath would make her happy…

“Ok,” he said.

Almost before he got out the word, she’d removed his boxers and had begun to lather his body with her fingers. Laying him on his stomach, she thumbed across the entire length of his frame, dipping him in the water from time to time. She repeated the process on his front side, a full body massage like none he’d ever experienced.

True to her word, she didn’t linger on any particular area, though part of him wished she had. If she hadn’t bound him, he certainly wouldn’t be enjoying this. But she was right — binding relaxed him so much, nearly all of his self consciousness had vanished.

“Now for the hair.” She let him float on the surface for a moment before returning with a dollop of shampoo, which she applied generously to his head, lathering it in.

“You’re really good at this,” he said, amazed at how she applied just the right amount of pressure.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” She continued lathering, though her pace slowed.

“On Haley?”

“And others,” she said.

“Others? Like who? Your dad?” That would be weird.

Her fingers paused, then resumed their circular motions on his scalp. “Eli, I used to be a premie.”

His eyes snapped open. “You what?!”

“I figured you’d find out sooner or later, so you might as well hear it from me. I spent the first eight years of my life as a premie. My parents were...are...premies.”

“I don’t understand,” he said. “How is it possible?”

“The same way you became a premie, just in reverse. You really haven’t read anything about Premoria have you? Makes me wonder why you want to go there so badly.”

“I’ve read about some things.”

“It’s ok. They don’t publicize it much. It’s usually a pretty...traumatic experience for everyone involved.”

“So it’s the opposite of the shrink gene?” he asked.

“Take a deep breath.” She dunked him under the water, rinsed his hair out, then lifted him into the air before wrapping him in a hand towel. “We don’t know much about the shrink gene. Some think it’s a mutation. Regardless, we do know those who are born premies but lack the mutation have a very high chance of growing into a human, usually before puberty.”

“Whoa. I never realized...so is Dorothy your real mom?”

“No.” Parker’s eyes focused downward. “My real mom died a long time ago.” She paused. “It’s difficult for me to talk about.”

“I’m sorry...I didn’t know.”

“My dad’s my real dad. He got remarried. Dorothy’s my stepmom. I call her Mom because, well, she pretty much is.”

A knock on the door. “Everything alright in there?” Ally asked.

“Yes,” Parker said. “We’ll be out in a minute.”

“Eli?” Ally asked.

“I’m fine,” He yelled. “I’ll be right out.”

After a few moments, Parker set him on the countertop, still wrapped in the hand towel. “She does like to keep an eye on you.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out a handful of clothing, including a light blue jumpsuit. “I bought this for you. Hope you like it.”

“Wow, thanks.” He waited until she turned around before disrobing and donning the new clothes. They fit well, and even included a pair of thick socks, something he lacked. His feet tended to get cold faster than the rest of his body. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You know, I can probably get you in to see Premoria. Part of it at least.” She turned around, looking at him.

“You can?”

“Sure, if you want.” She lowered her hand. “My dad and I have visitation rights. You could visit there with us.”

“That would be awesome!” He stepped onto her palm and sat down.

“There is a small admission fee, however.”

“How much is it?”

She smiled, this time showing her pretty teeth, then lifted him closer to her mouth. “I think you can afford it,” she said, before her lips met his upper body.