~

…

…

“You’re so cute…”

Brian jolted awake. As was now standard, a nightmare had caused him to forget where he was for a moment. His consciousness was overtaken by confusion, as well as a strange swirling sensation in his stomach. Surprisingly quickly, though, the feeling faded and everything came flooding back to him. He didn’t remember what the nightmare was about, but it must have not been very severe.

At least I didn’t scream this time… he thought, grateful that he wasn’t going to wake Allison up. Although he deeply appreciated all the times she comforted him, he still felt guilty about interrupting her sleep every night. So, he simply closed his eyes as his heart rate returned to normal, hoping that he would be able to fall asleep soon. After a moment, though, a strange noise coming in the direction of Allison’s bed caused him to sit up.

He could hear a rustling noise, as if her bedsheets were shifting around, as well as the sound of slightly heavy breathing.

Is she having a nightmare too? he wondered. He removed himself from the shirt pocket and walked to the edge of the pet carrier, trying to see what was going on in the bed. While he was pondering if it was possible to wake her up if she was having a nightmare, yet another noise interrupted his thoughts. This time, though, it was her voice. Despite the fact that she was whispering and panting at the same time, his tiny ears were able to pick up her words quite clearly.

“B...Brian…” she whispered. His face twisted in concern, wondering if her nightmare was about him. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to get a better look at what was going on while she continued to whisper.

“B-Brian,” she repeated, “You’re… you’re s-so c… cute…”

Brian finally was able to see what was happening on the bed, and he suddenly felt like he had been struck by lightning.

“It’s… o-okay… just t-touch it… good boy…”

Allison was turned on her side, her body facing the pet carrier. Her eyes were shut tight, though, meaning that she couldn’t see her tiny spectator. Although hard to see in the dark, her cheeks were bright red, while small beads of sweat rolled down her flushed face. One hand was on her chest, while the other was stuffed down the front of her pajama pants. Her whole body undulated as she continued to pant, moan, and whisper, clueing Brian into exactly what she was doing, as well as who she was thinking about while doing it.

“Mmm… y-you’re so good, little one…” she purred.

Brian’s face turned bright red, while his breath became stifled. Driven by instinctual panic, he dove back into the shirt pocket, rolling over so his back was facing the writhing woman on the bed. His heart rate skyrocketed as his ears were assaulted by Allison’s pleasured moans and whisperings.

“You’re mine… my itsy-bitsy b-boyfriend… I l-love you so much…”

He closed his eyes and covered his ears, which did little to block the noise. All sounds were amplified for shrunken convicts, a fact that Brian was now lamenting. 

“W-Where do you think you’re going…?” she breathed with a giggle. “You can’t… you can’t get away from me… you’re too t-tiny…”

His entire consciousness was gripped by an unexplainable wave of primal fear. Small tears began to run down his face, and he struggled not to make any noise. The only thing matching his fear was his confusion.

“Aww… I'll keep you safe… let me give you a… kiss…”

Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down… he endlessly repeated inside his head.

Why am I so scared?! What’s going on?! Where am I?! MAKE IT STOP!

Then, just when he felt like he was about to go insane, a slightly louder moan echoed throughout the room, followed by silence. Brian could only hear Allison lightly panting as she came down from her previous activity. A part of him wanted to call out for help, but the part of his brain still paralyzed by fear forced him to lay in silence. Despite the hurricane of panic and confusion obliterating his insides, on the outside he looked as emotionless as ever. Anyone would have assumed he was sleeping, completely unaware of his inner turmoil.

Able to think coherently again, Allison rose from her bed and began to move towards the bedroom door. She took a moment to gaze lovingly at her tiny boyfriend as she passed by the carrier, glad that he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. She wondered if he would be waking up due to a nightmare soon, causing her to frown in sympathy.

“Poor baby…” she muttered, before making her way out towards the bathroom to do some washing up.

Brian continued to lay still for a few hours, completely paralyzed, before the mental stress finally exhausted him to the point where he could fall back asleep.

~

“Good morning, Brian!” Allison said cheerfully. He looked up at her from the pet carrier, flashing a small smile before averting eye contact.

“Good morning,” he said quietly.

“Did you not have a nightmare last night? I never ended up having to comfort you, so I took that as a good sign,” she asked. Brian considered lying, but decided to go with an altered version of the truth instead.

“I did wake up at one point, but I didn’t shout or anything. It must not have been very bad, so I decided to just go back to sleep,” he answered. Allison frowned.

“You should have woken me up,” she chided. Brian let out an awkward chuckle, still finding it hard to make eye contact.

“It really wasn’t a big deal. Anyway, how about we get some breakfast? Afterwards, we should probably talk about everything that happened yesterday.”

Allison shook her head vigorously.

“Actually, no,” she said, “I don’t want to do that.”

“Oh?” Brian asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think we both need a day off,” she continued. “Just for today, I don’t want to think about anything. No Elizabeth, no Shrink Penalty, no Chevaliers, no wrongful convictions. For one day, we’re just a normal boyfriend and girlfriend spending a lazy day off together.”

Brian looked down at his one-inch body, before looking back up at her with a skeptical eye.

“Normal…?” he asked, causing Allison to pause.

“Almost normal,” she corrected with a wink. Brian smiled, her playful attitude slowly soothing his troubled heart.

“I mean, that’s great and all, but what do normal boyfriends and girlfriends do in the first place?” he asked. If you recall, this was Brian’s first relationship.

“I guess you’ll just have to find out,” she replied with a dangerous grin. Brian’s alarm bells started to ring again, but he pushed the sensation down as Allison held out her palm.

“Hop on, snookums,” she said. Brian rolled his eyes.

“That one isn’t going away any time soon…” he muttered, before climbing aboard. With that, he was whisked away towards the kitchen, Allison holding him close to her chest with an enormous smile.

~

“Oh, you missed a waterfall. Go back and look behind it.”

“Okay seriously, why do you always want to look behind every waterfall we see?”

“That’s, like, video game logic 101. If there’s a waterfall, you look behind it. Are you a pro gamer or not?”

“Shut it! Nobody asked for your unhelpful hints, doofus.”

Allison was playing a video game, while Brian was perched on her shoulder. He occasionally chimed in with commentary or suggestions, much to her chagrin. Brian let out an evil chuckle, before lightly gasping.

“What’s wrong?” Allison asked.

“I just realized, I’m the real life version of those fairies that follow you around in games and annoy you with unwanted hints,” he said in awe.

“Holy shit, that’s so fucking true,” she replied with a hearty laugh. “Unlike with those fairies, though, it’s possible to shut you up.”

“Oh, and how exactly do you do that?” Brian asked playfully. Allison paused the game and pondered for a moment.

“Well, I suppose you have your pick of scenarios, don’t you?” she replied with a grin. “I could always wrap you up in my hand, for example.”

Brian nodded, making an appreciative noise.

“Or… maybe I could trap you in my shoe, hmm? Or maybe pop you in my mouth and treat you like a little piece of candy? You’re certainly sweet enough,” she continued with a giggle. Brian raised an eyebrow at her train of thought, the swirling sensation in his stomach slightly returning.

“Or, of course, I could always stick you back between my boobs. Keep you nice and warm and safe. It’s a pretty effective mode of transportation, if you think about it. So, what’s your preference, little one? ‘Cause if you keep it up with your little comments, you just might find yourself having to pick.”

Brian was staring at her in shock. He couldn’t entirely see her face from his position on her shoulder, but he could tell that she was grinning widely.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked, trying to suppress the nervousness in his voice. “Are you role-playing as Cathy or something?”

Allison giggled, nearly knocking him over from the vibration.

“Of course not, baby. Just something to think about.”

With that, she resumed playing the game. Brian reclined against her neck, more than a little confused by her sudden change in attitude. After all, this was a woman who usually went beet-red at the first mention of anything even slightly sexual, and she was now joking about her boobs like it was nothing. The events of the previous night popped into his mind, but he immediately pushed them out and chose to focus on the game. This time, though, he was decidedly less vocal.

~

Later on, they were watching TV. Allison was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a pillow in her lap, which Brian was comfortably perched on. Despite Brian’s expectation that their “day off” was going to entail somewhat different activities than usual, due to her emphasis on the “boyfriend and girlfriend” part, it had been surprisingly ordinary so far. Not that he was complaining, as he was perfectly fine with just hanging out until Allison was ready to talk. As if to answer his ponderings, though, Allison suddenly placed her hands on either side of him, creating a wall of pleasantly-smelling moisturized skin. 

Before he could question this development, she darted inwards with her fingers and began to gently poke-and-prod him all over his miniscule body. She moved her fingers all around, gently squeezing an arm with a few while caressing his chest with others. It was as if she had suddenly become blind, and was trying to “see” him through the tactile impressions coming from her fingers. The immensely pleasurable sensations coming from this treatment quickly drowned out any confusion, and Brian allowed himself to completely relax in her grip, giving her full control over his tiny body. Noticing this, Allison bit her lower lip with a smile, and her efforts only increased. They stayed like this for a while, Allison watching television while idly fondling and playing with Brian’s body as if it was a fidget toy, while he completely submitted to her gentle and loving hands.

Eventually, her fingers slowed down their assault and released Brian from their embrace. He found himself slumped over in her palm, feeling just about as relaxed as he ever had in his life. One thumb began to stroke his hair, while Allison simply continued to watch television miles above him. She was showing an immensely satisfied smile as she hummed a soft tune.

Brian looked up at her with a grateful expression.

“That felt insanely awesome, Allie,” he said softly. “You training to be a masseuse or something?”

She looked down at him with a smirk.

“What, do I need a reason to feel up my handsome boyfriend? I love the way you feel between my big, giant fingers,” she replied teasingly. Brian adopted a look of mock-offense.

“I’m not some piece of meat, you know.”

“Mmm, that’s for sure,” Allison replied as she brought her palm up to her face. “You’re a specimen.”

With that, she began to twist her palm around, examining Brian from every angle as if he were a prized gemstone. Brian felt like he was being put under a microscope, and her intense appreciation of his physical features made his heart speed up.

“You really are handsome, though,” she breathed. “You know, there’s actually a small, dark corner of the internet that’s dedicated to appreciating your looks, Brian.”

Brian’s eyes shot open.

“You’re fucking with me,” he said. Allison shook her head with a sly grin.

“Nope. Some people think you have that “evil is sexy” thing going for you,” she replied.

“Wait wait wait, you’re telling me there are people out there who get off to a child murderer?!” Brian asked incredulously, thoroughly disturbed. Allison raised an eyebrow.

“You’re not a child murderer,” she replied.

“They don’t know that!” Brian exclaimed, which caused Allison to laugh at his bewilderment.

“Look, my point is that your attractiveness is pretty well known, Brian, but people just don’t want to say so out loud,” she explained. Her tone, low and breathy, brought back the swirling sensation.

“And now…” she purred, tracing one finger across his body. “I have you all~to~my~self~”

That did it.

“Allie, please stop,” Brian said quickly, clutching his stomach with one hand while he held up the other one to stop her. He was trying not to throw up, as the swirling in his stomach was making him nauseous. His heart was racing, and he was fighting the urge to jump off her hand and run away. Allison quickly dropped her flirtatious persona, and her face twisted in concern.

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” she asked hurriedly, lowering her palm back on top of the pillow. She could tell that Brian was greatly distressed.

“It’s just… um…” Brian started, trying to slow his heart. “You’re acting… different, today. I’m worried about you, and I just wonder if… we, um, should be talking about what happened yesterday… is all.”

Allison frowned.

“I said I didn’t want to do that today,” she said quietly. Brian nodded, as he finally got his breath under control. He looked back up at her with a gentle expression.

“I know, but it seems like you’re bottling something up right now. We both know why that’s a bad idea, so I just think it’d be a good idea to get things out in the open. Like I promised to do with you,” he said calmly. Allison’s eyes softened.

“Listen, just… tell me what you’re thinking right now,” Brian said, giving a reassuring smile. Allison opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if the words kept disappearing. After a few long moments of silence, though, she began to tear up.

“I’m thinking… that… a person I loved betrayed me,” she choked out. This confirmed Brian’s suspicion that she had been acting strangely to cover up the pain, and he nodded sympathetically. 

“She betrayed me… and lied to me, and I don’t even understand why,” she continued. “Can you blame me for not wanting to think about it?”

“Of course not, Allie,” Brian replied gently. “But… pretending it didn’t happen isn’t good either. Like I said, I really don’t feel comfortable sharing what she told me, but she did have a reason for it. Even if it’s hard to face her… I really think you should give her a chance to explain. It would make you feel better.”

A few tears raced down her cheek, before she wiped them off with her free arm and let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sure you’re right. I should at least hear her out. But not today,” she said, flashing a sad smile, which Brian reciprocated.

“Right… I’m sorry to bring you down, but I’m just worried about you,” he replied.

“Nonsense, don’t be sorry. You’re just being a considerate, caring sweetheart, as per usual. Come here, let me give you a kiss,” she said, before bringing her hand up to her face.

Suddenly, a memory of the previous night pierced Brian’s mind.

“Aww… I'll keep you safe… let me give you a… kiss…”

“You’re so cute…”

Brian let out a small yelp at the sight of her approaching lips, and he unconsciously flinched. Allison noticed this, and brought her hand back down.

Did I just… scare him? she wondered in shock. Suddenly, Elizabeth’s talk from the other day flooded into her mind, causing her blood to freeze. 

“I need to know if you are handling this relationship with the appropriate amount of consideration.”

“Not only are you thousands of times his size, you were the first person in three years to show him any amount of kindness.”

“You are his entire world right now, Allie. Think about what that could do to a young man’s psychology.”

 “Do you think he feels like an equal in this relationship?”

“How long after that did your relationship start?”

“I assume you’re the one who confessed to him, yes?”

“I just worry that there is an unhealthy power balance.”

“In a situation where you were to ask him to do something he didn’t want to do, do you think he would feel like he is allowed to say no?”

Allison snapped back to reality, feeling nauseous. She looked down at Brian, and saw that he was averting eye contact, his face pale. She suddenly felt utterly and overwhelmingly guilty.

“…did I pressure you into starting this relationship?” she asked, her voice barely audible. Brian’s eyes shot up at her in shock as his mind went into overdrive at this unexpected question.

“What?” he asked incredulously. He was completely perplexed. Allison’s face darkened even further, looking like she had just committed a crime.

“Elizabeth told me that… you might not feel like an equal, because of everything and… I might have told you how I felt too soon, before I could make sure that you would feel safe…”

“Woah, woah, woah- Allie. Allie, Allie, Allie, Allie-” Brian desperately tried to stop her, but she continued to speak as if a dam of doubt had just broken.

“Just one day after you told me you don’t feel like an equal, and I almost h-hurt you, and I promised to move slowly… I told you that I loved you, and… I should have waited… t-to make sure you felt like you could say no, and… oh god, I’m taking advantage of you!”

With that, she buried her head in her hands, feeling more ashamed than she ever had in her life. Seeing Brian afraid of her seemingly confirmed everything that Elizabeth had warned her about, and she suddenly felt just as abusive as her ex. She started to breathe heavier as Brian desperately tried to get through to her.

“Allie! Come on, what the fuck are you talking about?! When did Elizabeth- Please listen to me! Allie, please!” he cried, standing to his feet and waving his arms.

“This is wrong… I should never have confessed! I couldn’t even keep you a secret from Cathy, a-and I’ve put you in harm’s way so many times now! I was just being selfish, and you probably felt like you couldn’t say no, and I’m so sorry… W-We should just stop-”

“SHOOTING STAR!” Brian screamed at the top of his lungs. At the sound of those words, a memory of their third night together flashed through Allison’s mind.

~~~

“Brian?” she whispered, “Brian, are you awake?”

He did not respond, and her suspicions were confirmed. Careful not to jostle him around, she reached up and grabbed him from her shoulder. She gently transferred him to her palm, and she gazed down at him as he slept.

She was reminded of when she first brought him to her apartment. He had been sleeping inside of her breasts, and it was the first time that she had seen him look so peaceful. Just as she had done before, she marvelled at how innocent he looked. Nobody would have been able to tell that he had been through so much pain. He simply looked like a normal young man, and Allison was extremely happy that he was able to look so relaxed in her presence.

It’s only been three days, but we’ve really come a long way, she thought.

She continued to gaze at him adoringly, not fully realizing just how happy his presence was making her.

At that moment, though, Brian began to stir. He half-stood up, his arms pushing his chest up, as he looked all around. His eyes were still half-closed, and Allison guessed that he was still partially asleep.

“W-where am I?” he slurred, sounding more perplexed than actually scared. He looked up at Allison.

“Who are you?” he asked drowsily. Allison couldn’t help but grin.

“It’s me, Brian. Allie. You know, Allison Starr?” she replied softly. At the mention of her full name, Brian relaxed, and lowered himself back onto her palm. He rested his head on her thumb, which she had conveniently laid out immediately prior.

“Mmm… Starr…” he mumbled. “My shooting star…”

Allison’s heart skipped a beat. Her whole body suddenly felt very warm, and her cheeks turned bright red.

“That’s right, Brian,” she whispered, “your shooting star…”

Allison brought one finger to the side of his face, and began to stroke it tenderly. She continued like this for a while, basking in her burgeoning feelings that she was finally becoming aware of.

~~~

“Do you want to know when I fell in love with you?” Brian asked calmly. Allison weakly nodded, her eyes wide.

“It was after you came back from the facility, before Cathy showed up,” he began, adopting a gentle smile. “You opened up to me about why you became a Chevalier, and you were crying. I then told you that what happened didn’t make you a bad person, it just made you human. Remember?”

Allison smiled and nodded, recalling the warmth and comfort that his words had given her.

“When I said that, just like you are right now, you showed me a dazzling smile. It was the most radiant, grateful, and beautiful smile I had ever seen. It made me feel all… warm inside. It didn’t make me feel like I was one-inch tall, or a child murderer, or anything bad. It made me feel happy. And I knew that… as long as I could see that smile, then I would be able to smile, too. That’s when I fell in love with you. Gratitude, fear, doubt- none of it had anything to do with it. You’re the reason I can smile, Allie, and that’s why I love you.”

Overcome with emotion, Allison simply laid her head down next to Brian on the pillow. Her eyes carried all the love in the universe.

“I’m so happy…” she whispered. Brian leaned over and kissed her forehead.

~

“So, why did you flinch when I moved to kiss you?” Allison asked, after a small amount of time had passed. Brian fidgeted, scratching his neck while he averted his eyes.

“Come on…” she gently nudged. “It’s not fair if I’m the only one being vulnerable here.”

Brian sighed deeply, before closing his eyes in resignation. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if trying and failing to find the right words.

“Look…” he began. “We haven’t really talked about this since the beginning, but…”

He took a deep breath. The swirling in his stomach was nearly unbearable.

“Are you… really okay with the whole ‘no sex’ thing?”

Allison was taken aback. She searched through her memories for reasons as to why he would ask that, before the answer slapped her in the face. She instantly blushed.

“Oh…” she said shyly. “I’ve been coming onto you pretty hard today, haven’t I?”

Brian sheepishly nodded.

“Yeah… last night, too, with the whole… kissing thing…”

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” Allison said, averting her eyes. “Yeah… the truth is, well, last night I got a little… excited, while we were kissing. I was just so happy, and grateful for everything you said and did, and… yeah.”

“It wasn’t just that…” Brian muttered, turning extremely red. His heart was still pounding, but being able to openly talk about it was making it easier on him.

“What do you mean?” she asked, cocking her head.

“This is the part where you’re going to regret asking me to open up,” he started. 

“Like I said, last night I woke up from a nightmare but didn’t scream or anything. But… you were already awake, too.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you get my attention?” she asked. Unable to stand it anymore, Brian averted his eyes.

“Because you were already… busy…” he said, gesturing to her lower half.

Allison’s face twisted in confusion for a moment, before dropping off a cliff in realization. She simultaneously went pale and blushed harder than she had ever blushed before, as she realized that her boyfriend had seen her masturbating. She felt even worse once she realized that he also probably heard everything she had said while doing so.

In a trance, she calmly removed the pillow holding Brian from her lap, and placed it to her side on the sofa. She then moved like she was about to stand up.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go jump in a volcano,” she said flatly, before trying to stand up. She found that her legs had turned into jelly, however, and she promptly fell back onto the couch.

“On second thought, I’m just going to stay here until I die.”

Brian regained his ability to speak.

“I’m only telling you this because it made me feel really strange,” he said.

“No shit…” Allison muttered, still staring blankly into the distance. “I said all that embarrassing stuff about you…”

“No, not like that. Look, sexual stuff has never affected me my whole life. Like I told you, I appreciate beauty, but that’s about it. But… last night, when you were kissing me, and when I saw… that… as well as all the times you were flirty with me today, I felt really odd,” he elaborated.

This snapped Allison out of her embarrassed haze, and she looked at him with concerned eyes.

“Odd how?” she asked.

“I don’t know… I get these weird stomach aches, and I get really scared… my heart starts racing, and I start to panic. It just feels… overwhelming,” he explained. Allison furrowed her brow.

“And that’s never happened before?” she asked. Brian shook his head.

“Last night was the first time. I mean, being in between your breasts didn’t make me feel anything, and neither did Cathy’s teasing. But now… it’s like something is different. I don’t understand what’s happening to me, and… I’m really scared,” he replied, holding back tears at the end. Allison noticed that he was trembling as well. She quickly scooped him up in her palms, holding him close as she tenderly stroked his cheek.

“Whatever’s going on with you, Brian, you’re going to be okay. Look, sexuality is a really complicated thing. You never really got a chance to experiment before you were convicted, so maybe you’re just now discovering something that was always there. But you listen to me,” she said comfortingly, moving her hand so they could look at each other.

“We’re going to figure it out together. And I promise not to be so pushy in the future. Believe me, that kind of thing is only fun when we’re both having fun, so we’ll just take it slow, figure out what your boundaries are. We’re probably in the strangest relationship in the world right now, so we just have to work a little harder in figuring things out. I want nothing more than to figure it out, though, so I’ll do whatever it takes. What about you?”

Brian smiled, gazing up at his loving girlfriend adoringly.

“I’ll do whatever it takes, too. I love you,” he said

“And I love you, Brian Bentley,” she replied, gently leaning in to give him a kiss. This time, he felt completely safe, and gladly accepted the giant lips that engulfed him in a tender embrace.

Just like that, they were ready to move on.