So it looks like Ben is just starting to realize that Angie doesn't hate him after all. That's probably good to know before you're three inches tall and massaging her hands and feet!

That talk between Ben and Morgan was kind of sad, actually. Morgan was completely shocked that Ben thought Angie hated him, like she just assumed their little back and forths were good-natured or maybe even ignorant flirting. She seemed genuinely bummed that Ben thought that about Angie. That's kind of touching. Morgan seems more Ben's friend so far, but maybe she has the same kind of friendship with Angie and hated the thought of them being spiteful to each other.

But her dropping that Angie checks him out when he isn't looking is a pretty big hint about what Angie really thinks of him!

I do feel like Morgan kind of validated some earlier thoughts I had on these two, though. She also thinks that they're both hiding their real feelings for each other behind the familiarity of their bitter rivalry. Ben hasn't openly thought this, but based on how calculated he was responding to that text, it does seem like he's pretty guarded and particular on how he words things when talking to her, not wanting to give anything away or come off as weak. And Angie's text, again, seemed like her trying to compliment him without giving him an inch. This tension has also caused Ben to come off harsher than he intends to from time to time, and I think it's a fair to assume that the same could be said of Angie; we're just not in her head to confirm.

And I love the way she refers to Ben by his last name, trying to make things impersonal to cover up her likely very personal feelings for him. I was curious how she would react to him getting a job, and the way she softened up and tried to be supportive while sounding indifferent (her tone vs. her words) was kind of cute.

This is all a great way to set up them opening up to each other! It's so delightfully frustrating to see these two going for the jugular all the time despite clearly liking one another. This not only builds anticipation for what's to come for them, but it will also enhance those massaging scenes and any dialogue between them as well. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how things develop between them in the chapters ahead!

Ben being secretive about his job makes a lot of sense. The NDA lie probably did him more harm than good, though. Yeah, it makes it sound like he can't tell them anything, but that's only going to make his friends more curious. NDAs are no joke. Thankfully, though, his friends all seem pretty chill, so they'll probably just drop it. Probably.

Then again, it looks like this new job is already cutting into his time with them, and they're probably going to worry about him a little bit ...

We have a new member of the circle of friends. How's it going, Savannah? Just from her brief dialogue here, she seems kind of mischievous, which is always fun. Unlike some of the characters we met at orientation, I could see Savannah having a real role in the story, though that's not a given. Her being part of the group means we'll probably at least see her around a bit more, if nothing else.

The last line of the chapter was exciting! We're almost there! Giant Angie feels like she's right around the corner! There are so many ways this first session can go, and my imagination is running wild considering the possibilities.

I think it was an interesting choice to start the chapter at the end of Ben's hands-on training with Dr. Rivera. I like the decision, actually. It might have been tempting to use this scenario to get to some "action" a bit quicker, but I feel like that would have taken something away from that first scene between tiny Ben and Angie. The way you wrote this let us know that Ben is better than the average new technician without taking away that special feeling of Angie being his "first time." Well done!

Speaking of Angie, that text from her sure was intriguing, wasn't it? It could be taken a few ways, I think, but, to me, it seemed as though she was trying to give him a compliment without opening herself up or looking weak to her rival. From what little we've seen of Angie so far, I've definitely come to the opinion that she's into him, even if she won't let herself admit it. I wonder if she's afraid he'll reject her or if it's just them butting heads the whole time that makes her doubt Ben's feelings for her. Or maybe I'm just wrong!

In any case, I'm already enjoying their dynamic a great deal already, especially since it seems pretty clear that Ben is into her but refuses to let himself fall for the enemy! Him pulling out the "broken clock" line in his response to her was really interesting, too. It's like he's conceding that she's right this time but finding a way to be insulting anyway, which is probably his way of being diplomatic. Although somehow I doubt Angie sees it that way.

Just a guess, but I imagine a lot of her bravado and being "extra Angie" has to do with her frustration over not earning his respect (at least in her mind), which Ben is misinterpreting as smugness and annoyance, thinking she hates him. It's one of those "put on a brave front" kind of things, I think. This is why I think this first session with Angie will really open Ben's eyes to some stuff he's been missing this whole time.

On the other hand, Ben's starting to feel confident that he'll get through this without a problem, which means that there's probably going to be a problem! I wonder if that problem will be at the session or if something happens at school that day to zap his newfound confidence. I'm guessing the next chapter will take place at school before the big session, as there's a lot of potential for how that could go.

Hmm, so the clients have a tendency to get protective and affectionate with their tiny technicians, huh? That sounds promising! I have to say, though, that I love your take on this! A lot of this fetish tends to assume that the worst in people would come out if a normal-sized person found a tiny one (or a giant found a normal-sized person or whatever), so I really like that, in this world, it's those better tendencies that rise to the surface when someone big is in the presence of someone so much smaller than themselves. It's a really nice thought!

It was a lesser thing, but I found it interesting that this job is already starting to affect Ben's debating activities. Morgan is already starting to worry (she seems like a good friend already), and I'm curious if Dustin indeed was just being random with that comment about Tiny Treatments. Who knows, maybe Ben will one day be helping Dustin out during his own orientation, having a friend as a co-worker as well.

And I'm still curious if I was right about all of them being fairly wealthy aside from Ben. Those few comments at the start seemed (at least to me) to imply that Ben was going to some fancy private school, having earned his way in there through hard work. It's not super important, but I'm just curious. Or maybe I just want to know if Morgan might end up on Ben's client list as well!

It was nice to see Ben's mom feel a little relief. She didn't want to pressure him, so she just asked him how it went, but her being happy that he decided to keep working there on his own was great. She deserves a little relief and for her family to get ahead a little bit!

The rules are pretty basic and all make sense. I can't say too much about Valerie, Lily, or Marcus, as we didn't see much of them. I'm curious if they'll play a role in the story at all or if they're just mentioned because it makes sense story-wise to have people there for the ethics training and people obviously have names! Either way, I think throwing a lot of characters at us during this orientation process makes sense, as it would feel weird if the whole thing was Ben and one trainer by themselves the whole time.

We're getting close to seeing tiny Ben and Angie together, and I'm really hyped for it now! I've said this a few times already, but it's worth repeating: You've done a masterful job of building up to this moment between them. Once it happens, there's so many different directions you could take the story, but that first session really feels like a big moment that's coming. Excellent work making it feel that way!

Loving this one so far. I really dig your style. It this is anything like your other story I know its gonna be great, cant wait for that first day of work for him. Hopefully angie doesn’t inadvertently goad him into revealing himself… actually I hope she does now that I think of it

Awesome

I'm also wondering how Ben is going to manage balancing his new work schedule with the debate team. If only someone on the team accidentally found out his little secret and could help him out ...

But man, you weren't kidding when you said Ben's doubts and fears would take center stage in this chapter. I think the timing of it came at a perfect time, too. It's easy to embrace doing something like this when it's not about to happen and you can see how much the people you're trying to help need it, but when it comes time to actually do the thing, it can be a struggle. So it makes sense to me that he came off so determined in the last chapter yet so terrified at the prospect of actually shrinking in this one. Both were perfectly natural reactions to the situation at the appropriate time.

It was nice to see his mom step in and talk him out of going to orientation right away. She was firm about it, but she didn't try to make the decision for him. She knew he didn't want to do this, and she gave him an excuse to delay doing it. She handled it perfectly, and it's easy to see how Ben turned out as well as has!

I continue to love Maggie, though. She's such a great big sister (based on her infinite wisdom, I'm assuming she was the first twin to spring free!). I like her continued teasing, getting away with saying things that might normally be considered a bit harsh because of Ben's familiarity with her and the tone she uses.

But she also keeps Ben grounded, letting him know that their mom's solution was anything but a permanent one and that he needs to figure something out. Yet she does this in a way that doesn't come off as pushy or desperate, despite being overworked and dead tired from her own double shift.

Then she talks him off the ledge, letting him know his weakness (overthinking things) and giving him some phenomenal advice (to not let fear decide things for him), all while building him up and making it clear that she has faith in him.

And, of course, there's that humorous last line, slipping back into that casual sarcasm to reestablish their status quo. The last segment is kind of short, but it makes up for it in power and engagement. I know someone else said they'd like to see Maggie somehow get some time with her tiny brother, and honestly, I wouldn't mind that, either. Given her attitude and their dynamic, it could be pretty fun, in a wholesome kind of way.

We also got a bit of information about Ben's feelings toward Angie. Not directly, of course, but that bit about Ben always "complaining" about her but always finding a way to talk about her is pretty telling. He's terrified that she'll find out his secret and destroy him socially, but honestly? I think he's more afraid of her judging him if she finds out. I mean, anyone from school finding out could potentially spread the word, but she's the only one he's worried about? He's afraid of being embarrassed in front of her specifically because he likes her, but he thinks she doesn't feel the same. That's probably what fuels their rivalry on his (and I imagine her) end. I wonder how much of that concern is borne out of his familiarity with her and how much of it is just his own insecurity holding him back.

Finding out that Ben is winning debates against people who have had private tutors their whole lives is interesting for a couple reasons. First, this line makes it sound like Angie isn't the only well-off kid at that school. It implies that both his teammates and opponents from other schools also come from wealthy backgrounds, which means Ben has earned his place there the hard way most likely and proven that he belongs. After all, if the kids he's debating from other schools are like that, it seems to indicate that they're all elite private schools, right? Maybe that's part of the reason why he's so worried about everyone finding out about his new job. Not only is having to work while his peers are living comfortably, but that he would "debase" himself by shrinking down and caring for feet and hands is the kind of work we all stereotypically expect a rich kid to look down on and make fun of.

Second, and perhaps way more obviously, Ben is pretty damn smart! He's out-talking people who have been prepared for this sort of thing their entire lives, despite growing up in a poorer, single-parent household, which clearly wasn't able to provide him with the advantages enjoyed by his peers. That means he had to outwork them to get to where he is, and it couldn't have been easy to earn his place. The fact that he's such a good dude who's willing to work even harder for the sake of his family makes me want him to succeed even more!

Finally, I just want to say that I really appreciate the effort you've put into setting this scenario up. I know it can be tempting to jump right into the "good stuff" and that you might worry that some people might expect you to hurry up and get to the size-y stuff, but I love the way you're approaching this! You've built so much anticipation already for the shrinking (and the inevitable encounter with Angie when he's tiny). It's awesome! SO yeah, thanks for doing things this way!

Really enjoying this so far, and looking forward to getting more and into the action. I'm awaiting what feels like the undeniable discovery of his identity by his debate rival, and the dominating and teasing that would follow, but would also be curious if she ends up eventually taking some pity on him finding out his situation or not. If that's the direction the story goes I'll be very curious to see what happens 

Also kinda hoping there's at least one chapter of Maggie finding a way to afford to go there, whether it's winning a treatment or something, knowing it's going to be her brother by knowing his work schedule, so some gentle minded teasing but nothing insulting or harmful. A chapter like that would be really fun I think

But I'm just really looking forward to seeing where you go with it and reading more

Hey, you're back! And with a story that's already pretty intriguing at that!

First off, I have to say that writing this one in second person is a bold choice. If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious what led you to go that route with this one.

But me asking that doesn't mean I think it was a bad decision. Actually, despite the reputation second person perspective has, Benjamin already has a person feel as the main character, and I empathize with him pretty deeply even this early in the story. It's awesome that he's so willing to help his family, and he's even willing to do something a lot of people would find degrading in order to give them a real third income ($22 an hour is ridiculous for a high school student!). What a good dude.

I also really enjoy how Angie contrasts with him. Unlike him, she's from a well-off family (at least as far as Benjamin knows), and that makes me curious how she would react to his situation (even just the financial part and not the size one) if she knew. And unlike your last story, these two have an adversarial relationship, so the dynamic between them is going to be very different and should be fun to explore.

But adversarial doesn't necessarily mean spiteful. That line about Angie briefly showing hurt at Benjamin's unintentionally harsh tone already shows that she, at the very least, cares what he thinks about things. Was she hurt because he came off as mean? Or did that line about responsibility cut deeper than Benjamin realized?

I'm also really curious how spoiled or surprisingly unspoiled Angie is going to turn out to be. Obviously she's going to be visiting Tiny Treatments at some point, and Benjamin will get to see a side of her he doesn't normally get to see, one way or another. I'm also left wondering what the rules are for clients as far as treatment of the workers is concerned. Is there a certain degree of "latitude" there, or are things strict in terms of respecting the tiny workers? And what would Benjamin do if a certain blonde-haired rival tried to bend the rules a little (I'm not saying I think she will, necessarily, but there's some fun that could be had there!).

I know the anonymity of your tiny main characters is important to you, and I think having the company protect that for them is a cool angle to use for this. Although that last line for the chapter seems to imply that someone is going to find out before we get too deep into the story, I think. Because someone at school finding out wouldn't mean much if there wasn't the concern of Benjamin being exposed wasn't present (and this itself could lead to some fun same-size teasing situations, as well as someone taking advantage of Benjamin's work hours if he annoys them during the school day. God, there are a lot of possibilities with this!).

Oh, and Morgan sounds fun from what we saw of her. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of her.

Excellent start! I'm really looking forward to where you go with this one!