“Did you see how intense she looked?” Maya was rocking back and forth in Lyza’s bed, enjoying the memory of her lover’s sudden shift in attitude. “God, I love it when she gets serious…so hot…”

Six was forced to hear the constant praise Maya brought up in Lyza’s name. From the glare in their eyes to the tone of her voice. There was no detail the psychopath missed in describing all that she loved about the designer. In the beginning, it was rather adorable. Now though? Six only found it annoying.

“I envy you sometimes, Six. Did you know that?” Maya pictured what it must be like for her first lover. Her many times mentioned one and only. To be so small. To see Lyza and her from so far below their normal perception. To view them as anything other than godly. She couldn’t imagine what he sees on a daily. Were she in his shoes she’d be in constant awe. “You get to look up at two beautiful women constantly. We take care of you. We’d indulge your desire were you to show them. Really, you’re living the life.”

Stuck in the center of Maya’s crossed legs Six had nowhere to walk away to in response to what was being said. How could Maya possibly envy him? When so much of what he lives through is because of her? When it was she who had once tried to kill him? When it was because of her that he now lived at only half an inch tall. Living the life? He only recently was given some sense of freedom in what he chose to do, and even then he was terrified of having it taken away. And that was because of her.

The number of times he’s wanted to tell her that. To blame her. He couldn’t even count them now.  

“There ain’t much to envy…” Six mumbled. And like each time he’s blamed Maya he’s never been able to say how he truly felt.

His voice was so low that even Maya wasn’t able to hear it. And in her current state of mind, it was highly doubtful that she would anyway. She was lost in thought, the very idea of a giant Lyza toying with her more than she could handle. Her fingers were fidgeting, playing at her hair as the thought of the possible domination that could be visited upon her was all she could imagine. She wondered how small she could be, was she a beta before her taller lover. She almost regretted making herself an alpha those couple of years ago. A single pill that rendered her immune to shrinking seemed like a good idea at the time. But it would seem so many avenues of fun were closed off to her.

Her eyes fell on Six, a cruel grin taking shape.

“I suppose there’s more than one way to live out a fantasy”

The legs that surrounded Six rose into the air as Maya laid upon her back. The beta was thrown off guard by the sudden movement as the Titaness forced him to steady his footing for fear of being thrown off the bed. While nothing really was lethal to Six, falling from such a height wouldn’t be painful. It disorienting, the movement he was forced to endure. Difficult to get a grip when Maya continued to roll onto her stomach. Slowly, she crawled forward until her head was directly over her little lover, her blue eyes being the one thing that wasn’t shaded by her shadow.

“Siiiiix~” Maya’s cheeks had turned red. Her pupils had shrunk. She was close to snapping.

Six backed away in worry, only to be reminded of the cliff that was the edge of Lyza’s bed. Already he was weighing the option of jumping if only to avoid whatever it was Maya had planned. “Yes? What is it, Maya?”

“Just play along,” He told himself. “Give her what she wants, and things won’t get out of hand.”

In her current state of mind, there’d be no reasoning with her. Nothing he could say would slow her down or stop her from doing as she pleased with him. Were Lyza here then she’d be able to intervene. Unfortunately, Six did not possess that luxury.

“You’re soooo lucky Six~” Maya rested her head in front of the still fear-stricken beta, tilting it ever so slightly to get a better look at his shaking frame. “You get to be tiny. And small. And safe.”

“Cause I sure fucking feel safe now right!?”

Six weighed his options. There’d be no running to Maya’s sides. Her body took up more space than he could hope to run. She’d catch him in an instant before he even felt like he was beginning to make some ground. Pleading, again, was out of the question. Odds are she’d only hear what she wanted.

As far as he was concerned, he was fucked.

“I guess…” Just play along, that was his plan. Agree with her. Work towards whatever spew she was spilling. After that, if she was distracted, he’d have his chance.

Maya inched closer, her lips being the one thing that drew Six’s attention as she did. They encompassed his whole view. They could dominate his whole world. On several occasions they have.

Maya grinned. “How safe do you feel right now, Six?”

She lunged forward, her mouth suddenly opening wide and threatening to bite down around the beta. Instincts alone forced him to back away, which in turn only forced him off the bed’s ledge. He fell for what felt like an eternity. All the while he looked up towards the smiling, crazed goddess that now wished for nothing more than to play with her “one and only”.

Six ignored the pain that shot throughout his body the moment he made an impact on the floor. The sight of Maya throwing her legs over the bed was more than the push he needed to move. He made a b-line underneath the bed. Just in time too as two feet crashed down with a force to flatten the world.

“Fuck…fuck…” Six knew this would be the first place Maya would look. It was obvious of course. Every beta would hide beneath a bed, he didn’t know why. Maybe it was just instinct that drove smaller creatures to hide in dark spaces. Behind doors, in cupboards, pantries, lockers, and beds.

He looked for a place where he could hide. Despite her appearance, Lyza proved to care little for where she placed discarded clothing. Underneath her bed, there were spots of plenty he could choose from. Discarded socks, old shoes, torn shirts. He wondered how many were actually forgotten. He didn’t have long to think on that though.

By the time Maya began to peer underneath the bed Six was no longer in sight. Fine by her, she enjoyed the hunt more than the actual capture. She could pull the clothing one at a time. Take away Six’s hiding spots. It would be an easier solution to solve his hiding. But that’d be an end to the fun far too quickly. So, she began to crawl into the tight space. Maya would much rather not move the whole bed and the opportunity of growing stuck, thus giving Six a chance to run, was too fun to pass up.

“Siiiix~,” Maya scooted forward as far as she could without crawling over the discarded clothing, and by extension the beta she was in pursuit of. She had to give credit where it was due, he had quite the large amount of options to keep himself concealed. It was smart to keep moving. Someone as small as him wouldn’t want to remain in one place for too long. “Where are you, Six?”

She scanned the area, searching for only the smallest amount of movement. Six was the smallest beta she knew. At only half an inch tall she needed to focus to find him on most days. Were she not paying attention she’d be unable to see let alone hear him. But practice after practice, zoning in on her one and only has become nothing short of second nature. So when she saw the tiniest bit of motion behind a pair of socks she already knew where her prey was.

Rather than catch him then and there, however, she stretched forward until she was certain that Six knew she was there.

“Poor little Six~. So small…so slow…” she licked her lips in anticipation. He must have been petrified to not have taken off running. She wasn’t sure if it was smart or stupid to remain still. The runners she’d always go after first sure, but those who remained still always made for easy targets.

“Did you even try to hide, Six? Or do you just not wanna play today?”

Slowly Maya lifted the sock off the floor, fully expecting a shivering beta. Instead, all there was proved to be nothing more than a bug. An insect. A roach as long as Six was tall.

It surprised Maya. And that surprise only grew when she noticed a speck running from the safety of the bed and into the greater expanse of the bedroom.

Maya wasn’t mad though. Instead, she found herself laughing as she extended an arm toward the fleeing beta.

Six’s risked a gamble. He needed an opening to get away, so when one finally presented itself he did not waste it. He was sure she’d still be able to reach her, and his suspicions were only confirmed when, even when out from underneath the frame of the bed, he fell under the shadow of her hand. It was raised to grasp him. Grab him and bring him to its owner. He needed to be quick. He was in a situation where he could save himself.

He was directly underneath her palm, only a few relative feet away from the base of her fingers. He would have to time this.

“Come to mama, Six!” Maya brought her hand down with a crash, but she felt nothing from her prey. Six waited for her to bring her hand down and then dived forward in between her fingers. The sudden gust of wind that was created thanks to the impact was what he needed to be launched even further away from Maya.

Maya couldn’t contain her astonishment. He’s never tried anything like that before. She was even fairly certain he likely believed it wouldn’t have worked. Six must be as amazed as she was. “Well look at you, Six. You’re actually trying to get away!” Maya laughed at the notion that he could flee. Though he surprised her she still wasn’t done yet. One little once of luck and planning wouldn’t be enough to dissuade her after all.

Six was disoriented, the impact far more than he had originally thought. “Jeezus, I can’t believe that worked…” he felt almost proud of himself before he remembered the predicament he was in. Looking back Six felt the blood in his veins turn cold when he saw Maya pulling herself free from the bed. A task made difficult due to her rather large rear. He couldn’t deny that it was a rather pleasant sight. Just, it was one he couldn’t watch forever. Especially when Maya took notice f his gawking.

“Like what you see?” she asked with a grin. She was stuck between lust and aggression, the desire to catch Six just as strong as her desire to toy with him in more intimate manners. “Well get a good look now. You’ll get a much closer view when I get you.”

That was enough of a prompt for Six to start running again. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as Maya had freed herself from the bed’s constraints. She wasted no time in throwing herself forward, her arms crashing down on both sides of Six, who now found himself with no place to run to. Above, the expression on Maya’s face showed that she was impressed.

“You surprised me back there, Six.” She confessed. “As fucked as it is for me to say this, I expected less from you. You always quit early in our chases, so seeing you actually try to get away was a pleasant change of pace.”

She leaned forward, fully aware of the fear Six likely felt when she was this close. Right now, she was his entire world. And though she remained envious of his size she couldn’t deny that being all he could see had a certain allure to it.

“Since you actually put in the effort I’ll do you a favor. You get to decide where you go.”

Had he the option to pick nothing he most certainly would. Unfortunately, the look in Maya’s eyes showed that he didn’t possess that comfort. But he was tired, and right now he was shaking more out of exhaustion than of full-blown fear. Sure, he was still afraid, but at this moment he’d just run faster than he had in years. All to preserve the iota of the idea that he had the freedom to lose were he to give in to Maya and her temptations.

Lyza had actually given him this sense of freedom. The right to choose again. It started with her when she chose to give Six a chance. She put in the effort to be kind. To be nice. But that effort wasn’t shared; it wasn’t universal. As evident by Maya’s little game. She still saw him as her one and only, yes, but also as a toy she could play with. Something she could abuse in any manner she saw fit when she snapped. Even if she was aware of Lyza’s change of heart, and in some ways even aided to instigate it, she didn’t practice it herself. In Six’s eyes she was still the same killer she’s always been. From their time together when he was normal to when she found him, shrunk, and hidden away in the snow.

But he wondered if Lyza could change then maybe so could Maya. With Lyza, he showed that he had some worth to him. Not much, but enough to earn her respect. So Six wondered, even as Maya loomed over him, what it might be that could change her.

He clasped his hands into fists and steadied himself. He stood stern. He stood tall. As tall as someone half an inch could. But it was still enough for Maya to take notice. She cooed at the sudden display of bravado, actually finding it adorable to an extent.

“Ohhhh, we got a badass here. Look at youuuu~” Maya placed a finger upon her lower lip. She seemed to enjoy this display of bravery. Maybe she planned to find some way of breaking it?

Six wouldn’t let that happen. Not this time. This time he planned to be heard.

“I…” His voice got caught in his throat. Not from fear, though it certainly was there, but from habit. He’s always given in to what Maya wanted, and in a way, his body reacted to that.

Maya tilted her head, curious as to what the beta had to say. Right now she had ample opportunities to scoop him up and have her way with him. But she was curious. She hadn’t seen such courage from Six for quite a long time. It’d be a shame to break it so soon. She’d play along for now.

“Maya…I don’t…” his voice became stuck again. Instincts were forcing him against speaking out. In a manner, keeping him safe.

“I-I-I…What?” Maya mocked. “You don’t what?”

She was so cocky at times. They’ve both been in this situation before and each time she’s always won out over him. Always it was her who had the last say. The final laugh in any matter that concerned the both of them. Six would always cave. He would always give in. And Maya was the one who would always make him suffer because of it.

He was tired of it all. He’s had his moments of weakness around her, but he would never forget what she’s done to him. Regardless of if he’d ever forgive her, he was certain he couldn’t let this continue forever. Change needed to happen if he were to keep some semblance of sanity.

“I…don’t want to play anymore…” he finally murmured.

Maya raised her hand to her ear, having not heard what Six had said. She was too transfixed on just how adorable he looked when trying to act tough. “What was that?”

Six wished he had teeth to grit. He felt that would help steel his nerves. “I…I…I SAID I DON’T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE!!!”

The sudden volume of his voice dropped both of them off guard. Maya let her arm fall back onto the ground while Six rushed to cover his mouth in shock. That had not come out as intended.

Maya’s mind tried to comprehend Six’s words, as though they didn’t make any sense to her. She knew the words spoken but she didn’t quite grasp their meaning. Until finally it clocked. “You…don’t want to…what?”

Already Six regretted speaking out. He didn’t mean to shout so loudly. He only wished to be heard. Instead, it seemed as if he just pulled at one of Maya’s nerves.

“I didn’t mean it like that..”

Maya rose up, her height increasing as she was no longer crouching over the beta. “But you DID though…you said it.”

“Yes, but that wasn’t my intent-”

“Bullshit!”

Six shit his mouth. Maya’s own volume was leagues louder than his own. It was no contest. Despite her apparent rage, she didn’t appear angry though. Rather, she seemed confused. Conflicted. Still coming to terms with what her one and only had said. Six could see it in her eyes. The two have fought before. Argued. But he’s never shouted as loud as he did then compared to how he had now. Maya had heard him. In more ways than one. And she didn’t know how to handle that.

Her rate of breath quickened to the point where Six was afraid she’d hyperventilate. An iota of sanity seemed to be visible just beyond her fast-paced, wandering eyes. It was stuck just below the surface as Six’s revelation kept May between a line of composure and collapse.

“No…” Maya refused to accept this. No nononono! First the offer from Lynette, and now this? No!”

“What do you mean no?” For a moment Six forgot the difference in size between the two of them. Maya’s own refusal was fit to cause another outburst from him. Luckily he caught himself this time. “Let’s just…relax. For once we can just talk.”

“No!”

“Maya!”

The Titaness shook her head in refusal. “I said no! stop talking! Just shut up!”

Six wouldn’t back down.  He refused to know. Not in determination but for the fact that he’s never seen Maya in such a state before. Even when he was normal she’s never broken quite like…this.

When he stepped closer, she backed away. When he tried to speak up, she covered her ears. Maya was trying her hardest to ignore Six.

“Maya…”

“No!” she clutched her head tighter. “Just please, stop talking!”

Maya shut her eyes. A sharp pain struck her in the side of her head. She felt close to tears. Even when Six did stop speaking she refused to let go of her head. In her mind, she could still hear his voice. And all it did was insult her.

“So much for being your one and only. You can’t even keep me in check!”

“Stop it…”

“Can’t control me. Can’t even control yourself! What are you in control of?!”

“Six…stop…please…”

“If you can’t keep me in check then how long do you think you’ll be able to keep Lyza?”

Maya grit her teeth so hard it was incredible that they didn’t crack under the pressure. Six only watched on in horror as Maya continued to speak to herself. He hadn’t said anything for some time. Even so, she continued to address him as though he had been. He saw the confusion fade away slowly, leaving behind the last expression he wished to see.

Anger.

“You don’t think I’m in control!?”

Six backed away. “I never sa-“

“Shut up” Maya’s voice was stern.

“You don’t think I can control myself?!”

Though he didn’t say that Six had thought it plenty of times before. That said, he didn’t feel like now was the best of times to voice that. “I didn’t…”

“Shut up!”

Six could only focus on her rising anger. It rose even higher, along with her frame, her voice rising to shake the entire room. Six only hoped that Lyza heard the anger in Maya’s voice. Any reason that could have been had between the two was lost. If he believed himself screwed before then there were no words to describe his situation now.

“You think I’ll lose you? Y-you think I’ll lose Lyza?” Maya’s thoughts were a maelstrom, the insults her mind had fabricated working to only boil her blood further.

“I never said-”

“Shut! Your! Mouth!”

Six choked on his voice when Maya reached down at such a speed that he couldn’t even hope to harbor the illusion of escape. He was terrified of what would happen. Once again, after a surprisingly long time, he actually feared for his life. “Maya! Wait! Please, just hear me out!”

“We’re past that point, Six!” Maya narrowed her eyes to slits. “You won’t listen to me. You won’t do something as simple as being fucking quiet! It’s tiring!”

She was off on a tangent. She made no sense, working to make herself the victim here. “You? You think you’re tired?” he shot back. “I’m the one who has to deal with your shit!”

“You have to!” she argued. “That’s the whole point of a relationship!”

“And what relationship is this!?” Six shouted. His own anger couldn’t compare to Maya’s, but it was enough to steel his nerves once more.

The blue-haired giant went quiet. Almost in disbelief. “Ours Six. Our relationship.”

Surprisingly enough, Six laughed even when in the ever-tightening grip. It came out patronizing, humiliating even. And it was directed completely toward Maya. “Our relationship? Are you seriously that daft? We don’t HAVE a relationship. Not a real one. And that’s because of you. You ended that when you stabbed my fucking throat! You ended that when you kidnapped me, kept me locked away from the world, kept me as a toy. Or a fucking pet!”

“You aren’t a pet!” Maya tried to reason, but Six wasn’t even giving her the time of day anymore.

“oh ho hoooo, yes the fuck I am! I’ve only ever been a fucking pet to you, ever since we first met!”

Maya’s boiling blood turned cold. “Six, that’s not true.”

“Yes it is!”  the beta couldn’t stop now. His voice had been heard and he had so much to say. He wouldn’t be quiet anymore. “Maya, I have only ever been a thing to you. Something you could look at and toy with at your own leisure. Even when I could be considered an actual person, that’s always been the case. You look at me and you see…you see…you don’t see me. You don’t see the person that I was. The person that you tried to kill. You see the beta, the toy. Your college obsession.”

“Six, wait, that’s not-” Maya’s anger was quickly subsiding upon seeing this newfound vigor from Six. Her first obsession. Her one and only, who she had searched for even after she felt his blood run dry in between her fingers. He was her one regret. And right now, he was forcing her to face that fact.

“And stop calling me that!” Six huffed with such fury that for the moment he forgot where he was. Who’s hand it was that he was held within. “You know my fucking name! use it!”

Maya let her hand run flat, allowing Six the luxury of standing. She had never seen him so angry before. He’s never fought back so fiercely. It was new to her, and she didn’t like it. It was concerning.

Yes, that was it. She was concerned for Six. He wasn’t quiet, he wasn’t complacent, he wasn’t obedient. Six wasn’t any of those things right now. Despite being so small he tried so hard to be big.

“Okay.” Maya relented. “Okay…let’s just calm down.” Her anger, her madness. Maya found all those fleeting. Her view of her one and only was growing fractured. “We…we’ll talk…” She couldn’t believe it.

She was scared.

Her hands were trembling. Even then, Six didn’t notice it in the slightest. He was in full tunnel vision, only aware of the object of his rage, Maya.

“You don’t get it. I…actually feel like I have something to lose now…I’m actually being given options. Something so small yet a thing I’ve lacked for years, Maya. I can’t even blame Lyza for that. It’s your fault why I don’t even have the most basic of human rights. And the fucked-up thing is she was the one who actually started treating me like a person again. We had a rough start sure. Real rough. But she’s actually putting in that effort. You? You’ve never even tried, despite having known me for years. We argue, we bicker, but I cave and you win. And if I don’t you find some way to make me regret speaking against you.” Six felt his legs grow weak. It feels like he spent so much energy right now, saying much of what he felt needed to be said. “I’m tired, Maya. I’m the one who finds all of this tiring. You said you envy me…well I’d gladly trade my life for yours. Maybe then I’d find some sort of freedom in this life of mine. Fly far away, try to forget everything…”

He looked up to see her reaction, only to chuckle in disbelief when he found that she wasn’t even paying attention to him. Maya wasn’t even looking at him, she was looking…behind.

Where the door was.

Six quickly put two and two together when a new shadow fell over him. “Ah…fuck…”

He turned to see a kneeling Lyza, looking over him before turning her attention towards Maya. Whereas Maya was close to tears, a full breakdown only a few ill-thought words away, Lyza had a knowing expression to her.

“A half-inch Maya certainly is something I wouldn’t mind seeing,” Lyza joked. She realized quickly, however, that it would be a useless attempt. She cleared her throat. “But…I think that’ll have to wait. I came over cause I heard screaming. Looks like I know why now.”

Six wondered how much she had heard. He hoped more than anything this wouldn’t bode ill for him.

Lyza rubbed the nape of her neck, the frustration of this new turn of events already making itself known.

“Dammit…and just when things turned to shit downstairs too.”

Lyza took command of the situation, taking Six into her grasp while also leading Maya downstairs by her wrist. Neither of the two knew what to make of the situation now, both unsure what Lyza had planned.

Truthfully, Lyza didn’t know what to do either. But anything was better than hearing them bicker. When finally they found themselves in the living room once more Lyza wasted no time in instructing Maya to sit on the couch and placing Six next to a, suspiciously, drenched Roxanne. He wouldn’t ask why she was drenched, though the harrowing look upon her face certainly caused concern.

Lyza took her seat across from Maya. The designer gave all three present a stern look that only a mother could deliver. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose. She could practically feel the headache forming. Unfortunately, she was hit with so much information that she simply couldn’t ignore it right now. Were she to, then they might all very well be fucked.

With a clap of her hands, she addressed all three not as a friend, lover, or owner. But rather, as a sort of leader. Their boss in this instance.

“We have a few things we need to talk about.”