Max started at the sound of his motion alarm, he leapt out of his chair and ran to his command center. Three smartphones laid on their sides allowed him to operate all of his home’s old security systems. He’d set them up before he shrunk and he could still use the touchscreens even at his diminutive size.

Max had been lucky, he’d had months of warning before his size change occurred. The shrinking virus had been a tumultuous time for everyone he figured, but where other people had surrendered themselves to the care of friends, family, or state authorities he’d decided to take a different direction. He valued his independence, he’d worked hard for it, separating himself from a family that was neglectful on their best days, and abusive on their worst, and after obtaining a degree he’d been a freelancer working for himself in IT and programming ever since. Even now he’d been able to keep up working, thanks to some clever jury rigging for his PC and smartphones his clients weren’t even aware of his reduced size.

When the word of the shrinking virus had first reached him he’d immediately bribed his way into a black market back alley test for it. This would keep his status out of the system, a wise move as it turned out since one of the first laws passed in the wake of the epidemic mandated caretakers for shrinkees, all of them would be adopted out. Many shrinkees who either didn’t have loved ones or simply didn’t want to live like pets tried to flee, and that was when the industry of “Shrinkee Services” came about. Private contractors who would hunt down lone tinies and capture them, often selling them off to the highest bidder. Max was terrified of them, there were all kinds of dark rumors about shrinkee services workers practically enslaving shrunken people.

Luckily with the benefit of forewarning he’d been able to set up a myriad of legal entities which would allow him to pay various bills and taxes without ever having to appear in person. He’d purchased a house far in the countryside, then outfitted it with a number of features to help him navigate it once he was small. Ramps up staircases, state of the art security systems, and a few secret entrances and exits just in case.

The smartphones lit up and he paled, there was a woman poking around the edge of the property. She’d parked a tactical van at the end of his long gated driveway. She was fit, noticeably so, with khaki short shorts and buttoned up brown uniform with a logo on the back. Her dyed blonde hair had brown roots, and was pulled into a ponytail that stuck out behind a brown baseball cap. She almost looked like a delivery driver except for the mirrored shades, which gave her a somewhat menacing air. She was sticking a series of spikes into the ground and checking something on a tablet she carried.

“Fucking A!” she said with a smile, she took a small collapsible shovel from the back of the van and, poking it through some dirt, very deliberately collapsed one of his escape tunnels. He quickly zoomed the camera in on her van, squinting to see the painted lettering on the side.

“Sharon’s Shrinkee Services,” he read aloud, his mouth going dry, “Locating-Rehoming-Adopting.”

He decided to go for a high-risk gambit, he activated the audio system on the gate.

“Excuse me!” he began, causing the woman to start and walk back towards the gate, “Ma’am you’re trespassing!”

She eyed the lit up smart doorbell skeptically, “Am I speaking to one Maxwell Creighton?” she asked.

“You are,” he said, “and this is my house and I don’t take solicitors so-“

“Mr. Creighton,” she said in a professional, firm tone, “My name is Sharon, of Sharon’s Shrinkee Services, and I believe there might be a feral tiny on the property.”

He paled and thought a minute, “W-why that’s ridiculous! I would have seen him.”

“That’s kind of the thing Max,” she said, dropping the formality with a grin, “Nobody’s seen you in about two years, no social media updates, you work entirely remotely, I spoke with a plumber who came out here and he said there were instructions to let himself in and do the work, and he came and went without seeing anyone.” She checked her tablet and chuckled, “Says here you bought a hamster exercise wheel, classic steel design, then you returned it for one that was plastic and solid, one endorsed by Tinies of America in fact.”

He glanced over his shoulder at the hamster wheel and cursed, the first one had spokes too far apart so he’d tripped when he tried to use it.

“Then it says here you’ve bought a lot of doll furniture,” she continued. “You left a review saying that the couch was way too big for a three-inch doll family?” She smiled, “Are you three inches Max? That’s a very small Shrinkee, most of you guys are between four and six.” She giggled, “Lots of three-inch clothing being delivered too… And you always leave your front door open and ask the delivery people to just put it inside, weird huh?”


“I just like to collect doll furniture!” he shouted, “Is that a crime!? I’m a very private person, and I travel a lot!” He had an idea, “In fact I’m traveling now! So I can’t let you in.”

“That’s all right I’ll take a look around for you,” she said almost mockingly.

“No, sorry,” he said nervously, “I ummm, can’t let a strange woman be poking around my property.”

Sharon just laughed, “Well Max, the Tiny Protection Act lets a licensed shrinkee specialist enter any property if I suspect a Tiny might be in danger.” She looked up at the house, “Poor little guy is probably up there, terrified, hungry…”

He wanted to shout back that he was doing just fine, but he stopped himself. Maybe he could still figure a way out of this, what if he just hid from her?

Sharon seemed to guess his thoughts and just chuckled, “Look buddy, you’ve got a really nice setup here. One of the nicest I’ve ever seen in fact, you’re really using technology to the fullest.” She sighed, “But the jig is up, you can’t just keep going like this.”

“And hypothetically,” he began slowly, “If I WAS a shrinkee, why couldn’t I?”

“You’ve been doing well for a few years,” she admitted, “but you’re a tiny, sooner or later that’s going to catch up with you. Maybe you’ll get trapped somewhere, or you’ll get sick, or some kind of weirdo will find you before a nice gal like me.”

“Yeah it’s real nice to kidnap someone and sell them,” he replied sarcastically, “that is… if I was worried about that.”

“Let’s just drop the pretense,” she growled, “I know you’re in there, and from thermal imaging I’m guessing your little nest is on the second floor, in the bedroom facing the road.”

He felt his stomach drop, she was right. How long had she been watching him?

She put one hand on the gate and easily lifted herself over, landing in a catlike crouch on the other side.

“I’ll call the police!” he warned.

“Good,” Sharon said as she casually walked towards the house, “I used to be on the force, I could use the extra help catching you!”

She pulled a spray can of foam gap filler from her belt, shaking it she walked around the perimeter of the house, every now and then stopping to spray the expanding material into gaps or crevices. Any secret exits at ground floor would be plugged.

Max felt his heart beating rapidly as he watched her carefully find every escape route he had on the property, and then sabotage them. Tunnels were collapsed, spaces were filled in, she even found a collection of seeds he’d hidden in a Ziploc bag as a sort of supply cache.

Finally she walked to the front door. He had another smart doorbell there and she looked directly into it and smiled.

“Okay Max, do you want to be a big man for the last time in your life and give up, or are you going to be immature and make me do this the hard way?”

She chuckled as she saw the doorbell camera light flicker off.
 
“The hard way then,” she muttered. In truth she preferred it. Opening up her fanny pack she pulled out an energy drink, the white can glistened in the sun as she cracked it open and scanned the house for movement. She chugged it while she thought of her plan of attack, finally deciding to just chase him down like a gazelle. She crumpled the can and tossed it onto the lawn as she took out a stopwatch, with a grin she clicked the “start” button.

“Showtime!” she breathed, sprinting toward the front door. With a flourish she kicked the door open with a crash, pleased to see that her efforts at the gym were paying off. Running into the house she pounded up the stairs two at a time. Her head jerked back and forth, scanning the hallway floor.

Max froze as her eyes locked on him and she grinned. He’d been halfway across the hall to the bathroom where he had a secret pathway downstairs, it was shocking how quickly she’d gotten up here.

“Freeze!” she said, “End of the line Max!”

He took one more look at her and then decided to bolt. He was suddenly flung off his feet as something impacted him. He wheezed and wondered if his ribs were broken as he was pinned to the wall. Looking down he realized a glob of some clear substance was pinning him to the baseboard. He looked back up at Sharon in shock, she was holding what looked like a small silvery gun of some sort.

“I hate to use the glue shooter,” she said, casually walking up to him, “but you didn’t really give me much of a choice.” She spun it once like a gunslinger and holstered it triumphantly.

He was still struggling to breath as the wind had been knocked out of him. When he finally regained his breath he looked up in horror at the immense woman standing over him. He’d been able to avoid other people since he’d been shrunk, this was his first real encounter with a full-sized person and it terrified him.

“Hey don’t worry,” she said reassuringly. She knelt down and took a small spray bottle from her belt, gently misting him with it. He felt the glue start to dissolve and he flaked off the wall and tumbled to the floor. “I’m going to take good care of you.”

The hand reached for him and he cringed away from it, but her fingers easily plucked him up. She stood up and he was brought to her face. Her other hand brought up the stopwatch.

“You were on the run for forty-five seconds!” she beamed.

He felt numb, all of his preparation and training, all of his plans… and this woman had caught him in under a minute. He’d never felt so powerless.

She playfully squeezed him, “You are a cutie Max, cutest shrinkee I’ve ever caught I think. The glue ball didn’t hurt you too bad did it?”

“No,” he said sullenly, resigning himself to defeat, “Maybe it bruised me a bit, I don’t know.”

“I’ll be sure to conduct a little medical checkup on you later,” she said with a wink. “For now let’s get you somewhere safe, then I can get my stuff inside and we can start processing you.”

…

 He stared through the bars of the small brass cage Sharon had stuck him in while she brought the rest of her things into his house. She’d set up a laptop on the kitchen table and was typing something furiously while she sat the cage across from her. Adding insult to injury she’d asked him for the wifi password, and he’d numbly given it.

“Okay there we go!” she said excitedly, “I’ve got you registered as my shrinkee, and all of your assets are now in my name as your temporary guardian.”

That was it, a lifetime of work, gone. He’d had houses, bank accounts, stocks, they were hers now.

Seeing his expression she rolled her eyes, “Please Max I’m not stealing your shit, I’m just holding onto it for safekeeping.”

“Right,” he muttered angrily.

“I’m serious!” she protested, “Yeah, you’re going to have a caretaker and everything, but this house, your accounts, that’s all still going to be yours!”

“I’ll just have to ask permission to spend any of it,” he replied tersely.

She shrugged, “Well I’m not adopting you out to anyone for a dime less than a hundred grand, so whoever gets you will probably have her own money.”

“A HUNDRED GRAND!?” he exclaimed. He wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or horrified.
“I might get more,” Sharon said offhandedly, “I wasn’t lying when I said you’re by far the cutest shrinkee I’ve ever caught. You’re extra small, you’ve got boyish good looks, I mean you’re like one of the ones in the movies or something. I’ve already got some applications for you.”

“Uh, thanks,” he said, “so do you plan to auction me off or something?”

“Nah, I’m not that kind of girl,” she said, “I’m definitely going to make money off you, don’t misunderstand me, but I don’t just sell Shrinkees off like pieces of meat.” She pulled out her phone and thumbed open a photo gallery. She turned the screen towards him and held it up to the cage, revealing photos of her holding a number of shrinkees, all smiling and in various locales.

“I’m still in contact with every Shrinkee I’ve ever caught,” she said proudly, “Every single one tried to run and make it on their own just like you, and I’ve found happy homes for all of them!”

“Maybe being someone’s toy is fine for them,” he said, “it’s not what I want.” He decided to appeal to her decency, “You could still just let me go Sharon, just write down that there wasn’t a Shrinkee here and it was a mistake!”

“I really think you’re misunderstanding what I do,” she said as she closed the laptop. “I’m not some evil bitch who’s here to enslave you and ruin your life.” She reached into a small cooler she’d lugged into the house and pulled out a can of beer, snapping it open with a hiss. “Trust me in a few years you’re going to look back on this whole thing positively.” She thought a moment and grinned, “Hey, you probably haven’t had booze since you shrank right? Can’t get that delivered…”

“I mean I guess not,” he said, he’d never been a big drinker anyways so he hadn’t missed it.

Sharon reached down to her fanny pack and pulled out a small metallic object. As she placed it on the table he realized it was a cup, though she held it between two fingers it looked almost the size of a popcorn bucket to him. Gently she let a few drops from her can of beer drip into it before opening his cage and offering it to him. He took it in both hands and took a sip.

“So,” she said, “now that we’ve gotten to know each other a bit let’s talk about what comes next.”

He nodded and she continued, “I’m going to start having some women come by to meet you. Do you have any requests?”

“Can we do it over lunch?” he asked, “I’ve got some deadlines coming up and-“

“You have a job?” Sharon asked, her brow furrowed.

“How do you think I afford all this?” he said, gesturing around, “or did anyway…”

Sharon blinked a few times, “I would have thought one of the only benefits of shrinking would be not working a job…”

“I guess I should have asked about that first,” he muttered, “Can you let me out of here during the day so I can work? I just need access to my console upstairs.”

“I don’t see the harm,” Sharon said, regarding him again. She was quiet a moment, “You’re one of the more interesting Shrinkees I’ve met,” she said finally, “I’ll have your adoption applicants come by over lunch, the first one will be here tomorrow!”

“Great,” he said, without enthusiasm.

Sharon rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, you’re going to meet a pretty girl who wants to take care of you, surely that appeals to SOMETHING in you?”

“If I’ve got to do this I want someone who is going to be pretty hands off,” he said firmly, “literally, like I don’t want to be held and coddled or whatever. I just want to keep living how I was living.”

Sharon shrugged, “Well like I said I’m not sending you off with anyone you don’t agree to go with, but you might rethink that. You’ve been alone up here a long time and you might find it nice to have someone else around, even if it’s a giant girl who sort of owns you.”

“What if I don’t like any of them?” he asked.

“I guess I’ll just keep you myself then,” Sharon replied, “honestly? It’s kind of tempting.” She rubbed her chin a moment, “I can’t really hang out here all day to take care of you though, I travel a lot when I’m tracking down shrinkees, and I’m guessing you don’t want to come with me?”

“No,” he said firmly, “absolutely not.”

“Ouch!” she laughed, “okay well let’s call that our fallback option.”

She brought a bag with a medical cross on the side up onto the table and opened it up. Max gulped nervously as he saw her taking a series of vials out, along with what looked like a syringe gun. With one hand she unhooked the cage and withdrew him.

“Let’s get a DNA sample,” she said, “do you know what variant of the virus you got yet?”

He remained silent, in truth he didn’t really know. He’d figured he just had the standard virus, if he had any of the more interesting mutations he’d never had a reason to see them at work.

“Open your mouth,” Sharon said, holding a cue tip to his face. He did so but still gagged as the immense instrument was roughly forced into his mouth and rotated slowly. He coughed as she pulled it out and wiped his spit on a small plastic slide. She shoved it into a small attachment on her phone and grabbed him again while the results came in.

“Negative for super strength,” she muttered, “negative for echolocation…” Her eyes lit up, “Hey you’ve got super durability! That’s pretty cool right?”

“What like I’m superman?” he asked, he hadn’t spent a lot of time researching the variants, all that mattered to him was that he was going to be small for the rest of his life.

“You wish,” Sharon chuckled, “it just means that your body is kind of… spongy I guess, you can get stepped on and you’ll just sort of pop back up after a bit. They say it still hurts though so keep trying not to get stepped on.”


“I’ll do my best,” he said, watching the remaining tests come in.

“And it looks like you can also go without air for a few days,” Sharon mused, “neato…”

“I’ll bet you’re jumping for joy,” he muttered, “That probably adds a zero to my price right?”

Sharon sighed and shook her head, “Nah, I’m not putting that info in your adoption paperwork.”

He frowned and wondered why, she saw his look and grew a bit serious for a minute.

“Max if I put out the word that I have a tiny with invulnerability…” she pursed her lips, trying to think on how to explain it. “I’m sure that your new caregiver is going to figure it out eventually, you can tell them day one if you want,” she said hesitantly, “but what kind of person do you think specifically seeks out an invulnerable tiny?”

It dawned on him, “Someone who would want to do things that might… hurt me?” he asked quietly.

“It’s not a guarantee,” Sharon admitted, “But… it’s worth giving up a bit of profit at the end to have a bit of peace of mind, that’s why I don’t list it in my Tiny adoption ads.”

“Okay sorry but this next part is going to sting a little,” she said apologetically. With one thumb she casually forced his pants down, exposing his naked butt.

“Hey!” he said nervously, “What are you doin- OUCH!” there was a pinching sting as the hypodermic needle quickly pierced his skin. He felt his pants being pulled back up and rubbed the spot gingerly.

“What the hell was that?” he shouted.

“Just chipping you,” Sharon said as causally as saying she’d clipped his nails.

“It just gets better and better,” he muttered angrily.

“Now I can safely let you wander around,” she said. “no need to worry about you running off or getting kidnapped or something.”

“Yeah, imagine if a giant woman came in here and just kidnapped me,” he said sarcastically, “she’d probably sell me or something.”

Sharon frowned, “Look I know this isn’t easy for you, but you could try to be a little nicer.”

“Bite me,” he spat.

Sharon’s face grew red but, but she forced herself to breathe out slowly, “Okay,” she cooed, “you’re still upset, why don’t we try to relax a bit? What did you normally do in the evenings?”

“Just watched TV and stuff I guess,” he said, “I haven’t for a few days though, I’m still trying to figure out a way to change the batteries in the remote. I have some in the drawer but I hadn’t figured out how to get them out yet.”

Sharon tried not to laugh, “Alright let me take care of that.” She picked him up again and walked to a kitchen drawer. It was a bit depressing for him to see how casually she opened something so far out of reach for him, sliding it open she withdrew a pair of batteries from a case he’d bought years ago before shrinking. With a sashay to her hips brought on by the beer she walked into the living room and lifted up his remote from the spot he’d set it on the ground years ago. In a few seconds she’d done what he’d been spending days planning an attempt at, changing the batteries.

“Thanks,” he said, almost in awe. He’d been small so long he’d forgotten how easy everyday tasks had been at full size. Everything had become such a struggle…

“Don’t mention it,” she said, clicking the television on. Still holding him she flopped onto his couch, another thing he hadn’t been able to use in years, and stretched, making herself comfortable. She placed him on her mountainous chest and grinned down at him. “So Max, what do you want to watch?”

Max had been determined to stay angry at this woman who had barged into his home and claimed him, but… he found it hard. He hadn’t spent a lot of social time with anyone in years, even before he shrank it had been rare. As the two of them laughed at a sitcom rerun he felt himself feeling oddly comfortable with her. If nothing else they shared a sense of humor.

He decided to try to have fun with the situation as it was, he hadn’t had anything but packaged food that could be delivered in years, so he asked Sharon to order a pizza. He hadn’t been able to eat much of it of course, but he could have sworn that it was the best meal he’d ever had.

For her part Sharon had knocked back a few more of the beers she’d brought, and although he’d finished the large, to him anyway, one that she’d poured him earlier he couldn’t keep up.

“Maxxy,” she slurred as she balanced him on her chest again, “You are just the BEST fuggin Tiny.”

“Thanks,” Max said nervously as her fingers fondled him, “That uhhh, means a lot coming from you.”

“No, no you don’t get it!” she said, the volume of her voice becoming erratic, “Like I deal with tinies ALL. THE. TIME. You’re like the cutest one EVER, and you’re so smart and cool too!”

Smart he could somewhat understand but… “Cool?” he asked.

“Yeah!” she said, bouncing upright on the couch. He flailed as she caught him before he could tumble into her lap. “None of the other tinies have their own businesses, or… or that chainblock stuff. It’s sooooo cooool how you’ve been able to just keep living your life out here!” She looked at him seriously for a moment, or at least as seriously as she could in her state, “I’m going to find you a guardian who appreciates this, and if we don’t find one I’ll move in!” she said loudly, “and be bestest buddies.”

“Okay well that sounds great,” he said nervously, “why don’t we talk about it tomorrow? It’s getting a bit late.”

“Okay Maxxy,” she said sweetly with a drunken grin, “Let me put you someplace… comfy.”

She began to unbutton her shirt, revealing a lacey white bra. With a lecherous grin she grabbed him and before he could cry out he was stuffed between her boobs

“Goodnite Maxxy,” she said softly as she buttoned up the shirt, sealing him in.

…

Sharon yawned and stretched, feeling well rested despite a night on the couch. She smiled to herself as she remembered all the fun she’d had with Max the night before. She froze suddenly, had she…?

She quickly unbuttoned her shirt and looked down, seeing the tiny man sleeping snuggled between her breasts she sighed.

“Well THAT happened again,” she muttered. “Hey Maxxy,” she said softly, causing him to stir. Her heart almost broke as his eyes fluttered open.

“Sharon?” He muttered groggily.

“Hi!” she said, with a false enthusiasm, “So umm…”

“That was great!” Max said excitedly, “it was so warm and soft and-“

“Yeah!” she said without skipping a beat, “and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the kind of life a tiny guy gets to live with the right girl taking care of him!”

Max blinked and tried to force himself to be neutral, “That is to say… you’re pretty and I haven’t uh… been near a girl in a long time.”

Sharon just giggled.

…

True to her word Sharon let him wander his house freely, and he killed most of the morning working. He could almost pretend things were normal, that he wasn’t “in the system.”

The door to his bedroom opened around lunchtime and Sharon walked in, “Okay Max, the first applicant is here!”

He sighed and stood up, letting Sharon pluck him up off the floor. She carried him down to the kitchen where a pale brown-haired girl in a loose hoody was seated. As they got closer, he noticed she seemed a bit… disheveled, the hoodie had several holes in it, and the girl herself seemed groggy.

“Hi,” she said with a warm smile, “I’m Amy,” she yawned loudly, “Sorry I’m not used to being up this early.

Max shot a glance at the clock, it was almost noon.

“This is-“ Sharon began, but Max cut her off

“Hi Amy,” he said as boldly as he could, “I’m Max, nice to meet you.” Her tired eyes did seem to light when she saw him, and a hint of a smile traced over her lips.

“So Amy,” Sharon began, setting Max down on the table. “What makes you think you’d be a good caregiver for a shrinkee?”

“I just really think they’re cute,” Amy said, “And I have lots of free time since I’m kind of taking a gap year right now.”

Sharon frowned and looked at her tablet, “Uh, Amy it says on your application that you haven’t been in school for five years.”

“Well maybe a few gap years,” Amy admitted.

“I also don’t see any kind of employment history,” Sharon said.

Amy shrugged, “Well I’m trying to get into some other stuff, you know being my own boss… as soon as I figure out what I want to do.”

Max couldn’t help himself, he was enjoying how much this girl rubbed Sharon the wrong way.

“So Amy,” he said suddenly, “what kinds of things do you like to do all day?”

“Day?” Amy muttered, “I’m really more of a night owl. I’m a big fan of hentai, do you know what that is?”

Sharon’s face was red and Max nodded, pretending not to see, “Yeah I’ve heard of it, what else?”

“I guess I’ve been trying to get through every Final Fantasy game this month,” she said, “a lot of them really open up after forty hours.”

“That’s great!” Max said, nodding.

“Would you say you have any weaknesses?” Sharon practically hissed.

“Well,” Amy said thoughtfully, “I kind of forget to do stuff sometimes… my parents kind of had it with me and told me I couldn’t stay with them anymore… I try to remember to shower and stuff before going out but I don’t all that often.”

“Wow,” Sharon said, “Okay Amy, thank you for your time and-“

“Not so fast,” Max said, “I think this has potential!” He gestured to Amy, who seemed oblivious, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, someone who’s going to be hands off!”

“Amy,” Sharon said sweetly, “If you’ll excuse us.” Without asking she picked Max up and carried him into the living room.

“She’s perfect!” Max said excitedly, “She’ll sleep all day and-“

“Max,” Sharon said sternly, “I didn’t capture you just to hand you off to some burnout who will need more care from you than the other way around. If you pick that girl she’s going to blow through any money you give her on video games and porn!”

“I think we’re perfect for each other,” he said defensively, “clearly she needs a bit of… direction, a roof over her head… I just need someone who will let me be me!”

Sharon rolled her eyes, “Okay fine. I’m going to let you spend the afternoon alone with her, then you can tell me what you think.” She set him down and turned to leave.

“W-wait a second,” he started, “where are you going?”

He’d never admit it to her, but he was already seeing Sharon as his protector, someone he could trust… at least a little.

She paused, “Part of my process is leaving you alone with a prospective caretaker for the afternoon,” she explained. “You might be spending the rest of your life with Amy. If you really want someone like…” she searched for the words, “THAT, to be your owner from now on then you shouldn’t have any problem with her for a few hours.”

…

“So if you want to get back into gaming I think strategy games would be better,” Amy explained, holding her 3DS in front of Max’s tiny form.

The two of them were at the kitchen table, it had been awkward at first but after Amy had whipped out her handheld system he’d asked to see it. She’d eagerly placed him in front of it while she worked on grinding her party in what looked like a standard rpg.


“I pretty much gave up video games it when I shrunk,” he said, “they don’t make a controller for tinies.

“See that’s the thing,” Amy protested, “I think you could play turn-based stuff if you wanted, I could even help.” She sighed, “It would be nice to have someone else around who likes this kind of stuff.”

“It sounds fun,” he replied, and it did. He was warming up to Amy, bizarrely he felt almost protective of HER even though he was the small one. She seemed eager to socialize with anyone, maybe she needed a friend even more than he did?

…

Later Amy was casually and loosely gripping Max as she walked through the house, “Nice place,” she said, peeking into the various rooms. “If I move in here, could I get some blackout curtains?”

“I don’t see why not,” Max said, “Uh… you know the big person is usually the one who kind of… makes decisions right?”

Amy shrugged, “I don’t know Max, I know you’re like… a tiny and all, but I’ve made a pretty big mess of my life. Honestly? I was hoping I could become a caretaker for one of you guys that had someplace to live already, then I could… I don’t know, figure things out from there.”

“That doesn’t sound bad at all,” he said. He thought of the previous night, even just watching TV with someone else… it had been a taste of something he hadn’t even realized he’d been missing. “I could really use some company around here anyway, just try to stay out of my way when I’m working you know?”

“One of us should probably work,” Amy said with a giggle. “We’ll need to keep the lights on somehow!”

She opened one of the guest rooms and with a twirl flopped herself on the bed. Holding him over her like a doll she smiled.

“You’re such a small tiny,” Amy said dreamily, “and so cute…” she began thumbing the side of his shirt, he realized she was tugging at the buttons. His heartbeat picked up and he blushed, Amy bit her lower lip and giggled. Pausing a minute.

“D-Do you want me to uh… take this off?” he rasped, pointing to the shirt.

“No,” Amy giggled nervously, “I want to do it.” She rolled on the bed, instead of holding him over her she was pinning him to the pillow now, licking her lips as she roughly pulled his shirt open with her fingers.

He gasped as she ran a finger as long as his body up his torso, her eyes were wide and… was she drooling a bit? He was getting excited himself. Amy was no beauty queen, to be blunt she was an absolute mess, with slightly greasy skin and messy hair, but underneath that all it was hard to deny she was cute. Before shrinking he’d halfway fantasied about ending up with a girl like this.

“Max,” Amy breathed as her immense fingers began to tug at his pantleg, “If… If I adopt you, I won’t boss you around or anything but… I still want to play with my tiny sometimes.” There was a tug and his pants came off. Amy’s eyes went wide with delight as she saw that they didn’t make underwear in his size. Balling up his clothes in her hand she casually tossed them away.

At first he thought she was going to strip too, but instead she just grabbed up his naked form and flipped onto her back. Positioning herself she dropped him onto her stomach and pulled open the elastic of her sweatpants and panties. With a giggle she slowly pushed him towards the opening, when he was right at her waistline she gently shoved him in, causing him to stumble and fall into her wiry pubic hair. With a *snap* he heard the elastic close behind him.

He was pinned against her by the panties, and he could smell her musk rising around him. He began forcing himself lower, getting tangled up as he got closer to her lips. He knew what she wanted, and as he reached for her most delicate spots his world shook and she moaned overhead. He was rapidly getting soaked with her pungent juices, and soon her legs clamped around him as she squealed a final time.

“Good work tiny,” she breathed with a grin. She reached a hand down to her pants and pulled up the elastic again, temporarily giving him some light.

“How was that?” he yelled with a grin.

“Perfect,” she said with a dreamy smile, “Let’s do it again!” she let go of the elastic and he was again thrown into darkness.

…

Sharon opened the door and say Amy curled in bed with a content smile on her face. She rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Amy,” she said, banging the side of the door loudly.

Amy started awake and groaned, trying to turn away from her, “Whaaaatttt,” she moaned.

“Where’s Max? About three inches high? Blond?”

Amy smiled sleepily and reached under the covers. She fished around for a few minutes and then produced a tired looking Max, curled up in her palm. She handed him to Sharon who grabbed him by one arm and dangled him as though he were something dirty. She sniffed his limp form and grimaced.

“You need a bath tiny,” she muttered. Carrying him she turned to leave, only stopping to grab his clothes off the floor.

…

Sharon sat Max at the table and gave him a small bottlecap with a few grains of rice and some small cubes of meat. He ate while she crossed her arms and looked at him.

“Amy is great!” he said, taking another bite, “I pick her!”

“There’s no way THAT girl has the money to pay your adoption fee,” Sharon said. “And also I don’t trust her to take good care of you, that girl can barely take care of herself!”

“I…” he thought a moment, “maybe the responsibility will make her straighten out, I could front her the money or something.”

Sharon rolled her eyes, “the last thing you want to do is dangle a bunch of money in front of a lazy NEET like that.” She bit her lip a minute, “Max, I’m really doing my best to treat you like a person here, but legally you’re a shrinkee, you’re one step up from a pet, to most people you ARE a pet. That girl shoved you down her underwear the first day she met you, does that sound like someone who respects you?”

“You ALSO shoved me in your underwear the first day we met,” he said, fighting the urge not to laugh at Sharon’s flustered expression.

“Hey guys!” Amy said, joining them in the kitchen. She sat at the seat right behind Max and gently stroked the top of his head with one finger. “What are we having for dinner?”

“I made pork fried rice for US,” Sharon said icily, “So Amy what did you think of Max? Do you think Tiny Adoption is still something you’re interested in?”

“Oh yeah!” Amy said excitedly, “Max here is great! He seems pretty low maintenance, he’s cute, and he’s pretty cool! When can we get the paperwork done?”

Max was about to agree but Sharon cut him off, “I’ll definitely keep you on file and we’ll contact you when a decision has been made,” she said, “but it wouldn’t be fair to Max or the other applicants to make a decision this early.”

Amy’s face sunk, “Oh…” she said quietly, “Okay… I’ve heard that speech before.” She sighed, “I don’t really have anywhere to go though… my parents kind of dropped me off and told me it was time to sink or swim… they kicked me out.”

“You can stay here a few days!” Max said without thinking. Sharon coughed, and when he looked up her mouth was a thin line. Max decided to see how far her commitment to treating him like a person went, “It’s my house after all,” he continued, “I can have a guest right?”

Sharon was quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time, “Of course,” she said finally. She put on a forced smile.

“Yesss” Amy said making a fist pump gesture, “I’ll go grab my suitcases from the porch!” she stood up and practically skipped off.

“I hope you’re happy,” Sharon said, crossing her arms, “you’re never getting her out of here without an eviction notice.”

“Maybe she’ll stay forever and be the best caretaker a tiny could want,” he said defiantly.

“Hey guys,” Amy said, carrying a dusty playstation, “Can I just set my consoles up in the living room?”

“Sure!” Max said as Sharon glared at him.

…

The next day Sharon was sitting with him at the kitchen table again, while they waited for the next applicant. Amy was still asleep as far as he knew, she’d still been on the couch playing video games when Sharon had carried him up to his bed. There was a firm knock at the door and Sharon laid a hand on the table for him to climb into.

“Let’s go meet Christie!” Sharon said.

He frowned, “I used to know a-“

Sharon had barely turned the handle when the door burst open. A frantic looking redhead barged in, she was wearing a button up shirt, skirt, and heels which gave the impression she’d just come from an office. A suitcase trailed behind her.

“WHERE IS HE!?” she shouted, “MAXWELL!”

“Christie I’m right here!” he shouted.

Her eyes landed on him and she gasped, “Ohhhh Maxy… it’s true! You’re a tiny” she had tears in her eyes, “I’m going to fix this Max, we’ll get you the best of everything! It’s going to be okay!” Her eyes traced up to a shocked Sharon and her expression grew dark. “YOU!” she hissed, “You’re that BITCH who kidnapped my poor Max!”

“Excuse me?” Sharon said, unconsciously bringing Max a bit closer to her, “I’ll have you know I am fully licensed to locate and rehome shrinkees-“

“You’re some kind of tiny hunting mercenary!” Christie spat, “oh Max please tell me she hasn’t been hurting you!?”

“What’s all the yelling about?” Amy said, coming down the stairs and rubbing her eyes, “you guys are being really loud.”

“Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep,” Sharon muttered.

Christie wrinkled her nose in disdain, “Oh Max, now she’s letting homeless people live in your house!”

“Why don’t we just calm down and talk this out in the kitchen!” Max protested.

Christie sighed, “Okay Max, I know there’s some… legal stuff, but we’ll figure this out and we’ll be on the next flight back home!” She walked into the kitchen, and with a shrug Amy yawned and followed her.

Sharon hung back a bit, “I thought you said you didn’t have anyone who would want you?” she hissed.

“Christie is a friend from school,” he said, “she used to buy me lunch and stuff if I didn’t have money, her parents would sometimes get me clothes…” he sighed, “I think she saw me as a project or something. It’s just not a time in my life I want to dwell on you know?”

“That girl was about to jump me!” Sharon exclaimed, “you should have picked her to take care of you when you first got diagnosed!”

“Let’s go talk to her then,” he muttered. “Maybe you’ll see why I didn’t call her up when I got the positive test results.”

…

“Max you have no idea how worried I’ve been,” Christie said, dabbing her eyes with a kleenex, “My mom has been worried sick about you too, we need to call her and tell her you’re okay.”

“I was living on my own just fine,” he protested.

“No Max you weren’t,” Christie said, “and now you’re owned by this… this THUG!”

“Okay if we’re going to go any further you need to knock that off,” Sharon said tersely.

“So were you two like boyfriend and girlfriend or something?” Amy asked, pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

“Well we DID go to prom together,” Christie said with a sheepish smile, “but we were just friends.” She sighed and looked over at Max, “I did my best to take care of the poor thing, he’s had such a hard life…”

Sharon was nodding, “It sounds like you care about Max a lot,” she said.

“Oh I do!” she said eagerly, she quickly pulled out her phone and began swiping through some pictures, “Max ordered you a super nice terrarium, it’s got a little fountain, a heat lamp.” She squealed, “I’ve ordered the most expensive pellets from the Tiny store, you’re going to love them!”

“Pellets?” Max asked weakly.

“They’ve got all the nutrients you’ll need!” Christie said. “and I’ve got super soft little outfits coming for you, they’re going to make you PERFECT for snuggling!” Christie practically squealed, “there’s even one that can hook onto a keychain Max, I’ll never have to let you out of my sight EVER again!”

Max sighed and tried to think of what, if anything, he could say. He knew Sharon would probably send him off with her. While he had no doubts that Christie cared deeply for him, he wasn’t sure that was a life he wanted. She’d always seen him as a sort of sad lost puppy, an instinct that was no doubt turbocharged by him being significantly smaller than one.

Sharon seemed to pick up his thoughts and she gave him a small smile, “You two seem to have quite the history,” she said quietly. “Still, I think it’s best to have the standard afternoon trial period together, just to see how things might be… different now.”

Sharon turned to Amy, “Come on, let’s get out of their hair. We can go to the mall and get you some new clothes.”

Amy groaned, “I hate the mall,” she muttered, “What’s wrong with this?” she pointed down at the stained hoody.

Sharon just grumbled and motioned for Amy to follow her.

…

Christie beamed at him as soon as the other two women had left, “Now’s our chance Max! Hop into my purse and we’ll bolt!”

“I’m chipped Christie,” he said, “they’ll know exactly where I am.”

Christie just huffed, “Damn… I wanted to be the one to get you chipped. I guess they’ll have to sign it over to me or something once I buy you right? Once we get back home we’ll go see the vet and make it official.”

“Christie…” he said, not sure where to begin, “I don’t know if I want to go back there, I’ve got a pretty good life here, or I did anyway.”

Christie just rolled her eyes, “That’s the problem with you Max, I’m always trying to help you and you’re so insistent on clinging to this ridiculous notion of independence.” She gestured at him angrily, “You’re a shrinkee now Max! If you’d come to me right away we could have had a nice comfy little life together, instead I’ve been worried sick for two years about what happened to my best friend-“

“Best friend?” he interrupted, getting a bit angry, “I was more like your mascot or something, you and your friends loved having me around so everyone could see how nice you were to the poor kid!”

Christie blinked and her lip quavered, for a minute he thought she was going to cry. She sniffed once and he felt a bit bad about what he’d said.

“I mean uhh…” he tried to think of a way to walk it back.

“No,” Christie said, refusing to cry, “Maxwell,” she said sternly, “you’re just lashing out right now because you’re upset.” She rooted around in her purse a moment and withdrew a paperback, “I bought this at the airport and read it on the flight,” she explained, showing him the cover, “Caring for shrunken loved ones: Love, Discipline, and Everything Else.” She smiled, “Look it’s on the bestseller’s list!”

“You need a book to talk to me now?” He asked, quizzically.

She sighed, “Max tiny people like you have very specific psychological and physical needs. I’m just trying to figure out the best way for us to navigate this whole thing.”

“I didn’t mean what I said earlier,” he said slowly, “We… Were, are, friends Christie.”

“We’re going to be a lot more than that,” she said, thumbing through the pages, “Honestly this might be for the best, you being small I mean… Now I can finally take care of you like I’ve always wanted to.”

“Christie?” he asked nervously.

She grinned, “Okay here we go, a verbal outburst is a sign that a Tiny doesn’t respect you as a superior,” she nodded at him, “sounds about right… The best corrective method is a light spanking to be applied by flicking your tiny’s bottom gently with your index finger.”

“A spanking?” he asked, in shock, “Christie, that book is ridiculous.”

She looked at him, there was an awkward silence and he began to feel a pit of dread in his stomach. She glanced at him again, then at the book, then burst out laughing, a second later he joined her. For a moment it was almost like they were back in school again, laughing over a shared joke.

“Okay,” she wheezed when she was done, “maybe the book is full of shit…”

Max felt a sense of relief wash over him. Christie leaned over him and gave him a very devious looking grin suddenly, and he felt his unease return.

“I think…” she licked her lips, “I think I want to spank you anyway though.”

Max’s eyes went wide and he bolted as quickly as his legs could carry him. Sprinting across the table he leapt as Christie’s hand swung at him. She giggled behind him as she stood up.

“Come on Maxxy it’ll be fun!” she called. “Do you remember when we made out after Prom Max? I told you to rub my feet because they hurt after the dance…”

Max gulped, he remembered the experience well, and while he’d insisted it wasn’t her feet he’d gotten rock solid, something she’d easily noticed.

Her face lit up as she saw he was remembering it, “Then I slapped you and called you a bad boy… I think you almost jizzed your pants. Do you still like that kind of thing?”

“L-Leave me alone Christie!” he shouted. His thoughts were racing in conflicting directions. On the one hand if he let Christie do ANYTHING to him that would only encourage her to treat him like a pet. On the other hand… he kind of wanted to get caught, and he wanted to see what she’d do next.

She practically leapt and was suddenly towering over him, “End of the line Max!” she said gleefully.

He glanced over the side of the table and took a deep breath. Christie’s expression grew confused, and then horrified as he leapt. For him it would be a fifty or sixty foot drop, but since Sharon had mentioned he had the durability variant of the shrinking virus he’d been wanting to try a long fall. He felt his breath pick up and had a million panicked thoughts. What if Sharon was wrong? What if the invulnerability wasn’t good for falling?

He almost cried out in triumph when he landed and felt nothing but a short pain in his shins. He saw Christie’s feet running around the side of the table he’d jumped off of.

“MAX!” she cried in panic, “MAX WHY DID YOU DO THAT!? WHERE ARE YOU-“

Feeling a bit bad about scaring her he walked out from under a chair and tried to wave to her, “Christie!” he shouted as she approached. “I’m right here-“ his eyes went wide as he realized she didn’t see him at all. One of her heeled shoes lifted over him as she walked brusquely, he tried shouting one more time before-

*CRUNCH*

Christine stopped cold.

“Oh no,” she breathed, not letting herself look down, “Oh no oh no…” she felt herself beginning to hyperventilate.

“M-Max?” she slowly, not wanting to believe what had happened. She looked down at her shoe and saw just the smallest part of his little hand sticking out, trying in vain to grip the tip of her shoe.

…

For Max everything had gone dark as soon as the shoe had come down. It had hurt, but not quite as badly as he would have thought. He took a deep breath in as the world came back into focus, it felt like he’d been squeezed into a locker. After a minute of blinking and cracking various joints he stood up.

“Whoa,” he muttered, looking around. He was alone in the kitchen, but he heard loud bawling coming from the living room. With a sigh he began the trek.

Christie had a box of tissues and had piled them high in front of the couch, where she was wallowing in self pity. Her makeup was running and her business attire, so crisp when she’d arrived, was now rumpled and wrinkled as she cried.

“MAAAAXXXYYY!” she bawled, blowing another tissue, “I STEPPED ON MY BEST FRIEND!” she cried angrily.

“Christie!” he shouted, waving at her from the floor.

She started, looking around, “M-Maxy?”

“Down here!”

She sniffed and spotted him, her eyes going wide, “Y-You’re alive?” she practically leapt off the couch and grinned as she knelt down to him. “Max are you one of those invincible Tinies?”

“I guess so,” he said, “Sharon didn’t want to let you guys know yet.”

Christie grinned and stood up over him again, he didn’t like the sudden look in her eyes.

“C-Christie what are you-“

Her heeled shoe came down again.

*CRUNCH*

A few minutes later he was wincing and flexing his limbs again. It was an odd feeling, after the initial pain it was like being stiff and needing to crack every joint he had.

“Christie cut it out!” he shouted as she lifted her foot again.

She hesitated, then put her foot down and giggled, “I’m sorry Max. I’m just so happy you’re not… well you know.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. “Let’s just… take it easy for a bit okay?”

Christie sighed before bending down to lift him up. As her fingers wrapped around him she froze, she felt something hard poking her palm…

“Maaaaxxx,” she said slowly with a grin, “You seem a bit excited.” She looked at his suddenly apprehensive face and the grin grew wider. “What caused that Max? Did you… like getting squished?”

“Christie!” he pleaded suddenly, “Please don’t-“

“I’m not going to step on you again,” she said cheerfully, “but I AM going to do what I should have done after prom all those years ago.”

He felt his pants get ripped off and suddenly her palm opened, laying him flat. With her free hand she stuck her thumb and index finger into her mouth, lubricating them with her saliva. They came down on his erection and began a slow but powerful pumping motion.

“C-Christie,” he moaned, his thoughts were quickly scattering to the winds.

“You like being pushed around big bad Christie Max?” She breathed, “stepped on like a pathetic little bug?”

He screamed as he came, her eyes went wide and she laughed as he sprayed her fingers.
“Wow,” she chuckled, “you REALLY liked it huh?” she sighed and sat back onto the couch, still holding his heaving form in her hand.

“Christie,” he breathed as his mind slowly came back online, “Please don’t get the wrong idea, that stuff is… I love it, but-“

“Relax Max,” she said, idly reaching for his discarded pants with her free hand and handed them back to him. “I’m just so happy I found you again,” she said quietly. “If you need someone to take care of you I can be that…” she gave him a wry smile, “And if sometimes you need someone to be a bit mean to you, boss you around maybe… I can be that too now and then.”

…

Sharon and Amy returned a few hours later and found Christie lounging on the couch. The TV was on but neither she or Max were watching it, he was perched on her chest, struggling to stay balanced as they laughed about old memories.

“No way,” Max asked, “you mean THEY got together after school?”

“I KNOW!” Christie chuckled, sending the tiny man sprawling.

“We’re back!” Sharon said, shoving Amy in, “and look we got little miss sleepyhead a haircut.”

Amy seemed embarrassed, her long frayed hair had been trimmed and thinned, “D-do you like it Max?”

“It looks great!” he shouted, standing up to greet the other two women. Amy blushed and twirled a lock of hair idly.

“So it’s getting late,” Sharon said, “Christie you should probably be-“

“No need,” she said, standing up. “Max and I will be heading back to the airport as soon as we get the paperwork done.”

“I have one more potential applicant,” Sharon said firmly, “I’m afraid I won’t be making a decision until this Saturday. You can get a hotel and come back to visit Max tomorrow if you-“

“She should stay here!” Amy said excitedly, “This place has a ton of rooms and Max is so tiny he hardly ever used any of them!”

Sharon sighed, “Is that what you’d like?” she asked in a defeated tone.

Christie thought a moment, “Yes, I think that would be for the best, I need to make sure Max is okay, but I think it’s a bit ridiculous when we all know he’s going to go with me.” She placed him on the end table and left to get her things.

As she left Amy seemed a bit concerned, “Uhhh, Max did you already make up your mind?” she asked him quietly.

“I…” he started, “I’ve known Christie a long time Amy, but I like you a lot.”

Amy beamed as he continued.

“I’m also worried Christie might not let me live the way I’d like to.”

Sharon shrugged, “Well it’s not completely your decision, but I’ll consider that when we draw up the papers. You have one more to meet tomorrow anyways.”

…

The third day continued the usual routine, he spent the morning working, and when the middle of the day rolled around Sharon came up to his room to pick him up and carry him to the kitchen. Amy and Christie were there, and at the far end of the table was a new woman.

The first thing that hit him was her warm expression, she had a smile that instantly made him feel relaxed somehow. She had a slightly plump face that matched her wide hips and massive bust. She gently flicked a strand of auburn hair out of her face as she saw him carried in and set on the table.

“Hello Maxwell,” she said sweetly, “I’m Erica, how are you?”

“I’m good,” he said cautiously.

“Oh he is adorable,” Erica said, reaching out a finger to touch him. The massive digit made contact with his cheek, and she giggled as a fingerprint the size of his face poked him gently.

“So Erica,” Sharon began, “what makes you think you’d be a good fit to take care of a shrinkee?”

Erica thought a moment, “I just love taking care of people,” she said finally, “when the shrinking epidemic happened I felt so bad for all those poor little guys, I just wished I could hug them all and keep them safe.” She sighed sadly.

“Oh brother,” Christie muttered.

“They should never have to worry about anything,” she continued, “shrinkees are little treasures and we all need to do our part to help them feel loved!”

“This one’s kind of independent,” Amy said, gesturing at Max, the loose arm of her hoodie obscuring her hand. “He even has a job, he’s even doing better in life than I am.”

“That’s a low bar,” Sharon muttered, “But yes, that’s something you should be aware of Erica.”

She frowned and shifted uncomfortably, “Maxwell has to WORK?” she muttered, “The poor little thing…” she glanced at him, “Maxwell forget all about that! I’ll be handling everything from now on.”

“It’s not that I HAVE to-“ he began, but Erica just waved dismissively.

“Sweetie from now on you’re just going to relax and play all day,” she said, “It’s not good for tinies to get themselves stressed with big people things.”

Sharon chuckled a bit, enjoying Max’s reaction, “I think you two may want to talk this one over,” she said as she got up, “Come on girls, let’s leave these two alone for a few hours.”

Amy eagerly got up and followed her, Christie just scowled as she joined them.

Erica got up and slowly walked over to him, where a few days ago he’d have been nervous Max was pretty used to being carried by now and braced himself to be lifted up. Erica giggled at his reaction and gently placed her thumb and forefinger under his arms.

“The adoption ad said you were living on your own for two years?” she asked sweetly as she looked him over, “And you’re such a small shrinkee too… it’s heartbreaking!”

“I was actually doing okay,” he said hesitantly, “Do you… want to see my workstation?”

…

As he explained what he did for a living, both before and after shrinking, Erica’s eyes were glazing over a bit. It was clear she didn’t know much about technology.

“Sometimes it gets pretty crazy,” he said, talking about one of his clients, “I once worked like thirty hours straight trying to-“

“Thirty hours!?” Erica exclaimed. Almost involuntarily she snatched him up and he grunted as he was squeezed roughly into her cheek. “Maxwell, I know you like all of this computer stuff but I’m not going to let you do anything like that once you’re mine!” She looked around the rest of his living space and frowned, “What is this Maxwell? Is this a dollhouse bed?”

“Y-yeah-“ he breathed, she was still squeezing him a bit hard.

“It won’t do at all,” she muttered, “We’ll have to get you something softer…” she saw the exercise wheel, “oh I don’t know about this,” she muttered, picking the entire thing up with one hand, “it seems like you’re constantly overexerting yourself.”

“I have to stay in shape!” he protested as her grip loosened, “I can’t really go outside at this size!”

She pursed her lips and replaced his exercise wheel. Looking around at the electronics she sighed.

“I know all of these things make you happy, and I won’t get rid of them, but you’re a shrinkee and you can’t handle as much stress as you used to when you were big okay Maxwell?” She grinned and snuggled him into her cheek a second time, “If you work yourself too hard, I’ll just have to grab you for snuggles!”

“O-okay,” he muttered, feeling his face go red with embarrassment. Her cheek was soft… everything about her just radiated a sense of warmth.

She pulled him away and regarded him a minute, then smiled, “Then again I think it IS good for you tinies to get the right amount of energy out, you just need to make sure you’re doing something fun!”

…

“Let’s bake cookies!” Erica said excitedly, laying out supplies on the kitchen counter. She opened a closet and grabbed an old kitchen apron from a closet, casually tying it on. She’d set him on the counter in between the flour and eggs.

“So what do you want me to do?” he asked, “I don’t really know my way around a kitchen, I was living on takeout before I shrank and after that I mostly just had prepackaged stuff.”

Erica gave a “tsk tsk” sound and shook her head in disapproval, “Maxwell you’re only eating freshly prepared meals from now on. I saw a bag of those tiny pellets in your room, I’m throwing them away as soon as we’re done here. That’s no proper food for a little thing like you!”

“You’ll get no complaints from me,” he said with a grin. He’d tried one of the pellets to make Christie happy, and while he’d just told her they were a bit bland the truth was he’d hated them.

As they began to work Erica would occasionally hand him measuring spoons, which to him were more like shovels, and tell him eagerly to bring her a scoop of sugar, or salt. It was hard work and he was exerting himself just helping her bake. She just watched and smiled, occasionally making a comment on how cute he was, or how good he was doing.

“Now bring me an egg from the carton Maxwell!” she said, stirring the mixture.

This was difficult at his size, the egg was heavy, and almost as large as he was. Red faced he managed to work it out of the carton, and then with some effort he rolled it across the counter to her.

“Good job Maxwell!” she beamed, her finger came down and ruffled his hair while he panted. Then she simply picked up the egg it had taken all of his strength just to bring her, and casually cracked it open over the bowl. He watched as she finished the recipe and spooned several dollops down onto the baking sheet. He was exhausted, and all he could do was lay there as she hummed sweetly and began putting things away.

She put on a pair of rubber gloves and began scrubbing a few remaining items. Finally Erica gave the counter a final quick wipedown before returning to him. He felt exhausted, and her smiling face hovered over him like an angel.

“Wow,” he said, feeling his arms aching, “that was a lot more intense than I thought!”

“And that’s just baking cookies!” she giggled, “I’ll have to have you help me in the kitchen more often, it’s a good relaxing way to get all of that energy out.” She gently scooped him into her gloved palm and carried him over to the sink.

“What now?” Max asked, still feeling a bit limp, “I’m exhausted…”

Erica giggled softly, “Maxwell you need a bath, look at you, you’re covered in flour and chocolate!” he looked down and realized she was right, his clothes were practically white with the stuff.

“Okay, I actually have a little shower rigged up in my room-“ he began, but she was already peeling his clothes off.

“I’ll wash these later,” she said, placing his shirt in her pocket. “Now let’s get those little pants off!”

He tried to protest feebly but his arms felt like jelly. She’d known what she was doing when had him running baking supplies all over the counter for her, he felt even more helpless than he usually did. He just gave up and let her slide his trousers off, with a wink she put them in her pocket with the shirt.

Gently she brought him under the faucet, rotating his body and whistling an upbeat tune while she washed the flour away. Like a ragdoll he just let himself be manipulated, the water was a pleasant lukewarm. Next she held him under the nozzle of a hand soap dispenser, and a rich fruity aroma filled his nose as she pumped it twice, covering him in the gooey liquid.

“Oh, doesn’t that smell good?” She purred softly as she lathered his entire body. He groaned in appreciation, it DID smell good, and it felt good too. As she worked the soap in she gently massaged his tired muscles, occasionally bringing him back under the faucet to get more suds built up. He moaned as her fingers traced lower on his body…

“Hmm…” she said, pausing her whistling as her thumb made contact with his erection, “It looks like SOMEONE is enjoying bathtime.”

“Erica,” he stammered, suddenly very aware of how turned on he was, “I’m sorry you’re just so-“

“Pretty?” she said sweetly, “I know Maxwell, you don’t need to be embarrassed.” She began slowly rubbing her gloved fingers over his penis, bringing her index finger down to pump him slowly. Between the slick rubber and the soap it felt divine.

Max moaned in pleasure as she continued, “Come on Max it’s better to get this out while you’re being cleaned, it wouldn’t do to have you make a sticky mess after getting your bath.” His eyes were practically rolling back in his head as he came. “Come on!” Erica said sweetly, “squirt it all out, good boy.”

He grimaced and spasmed one final time as his orgasm finished.

His head lolled and he struggled to stay conscious as she finished rinsing him off under the warm faucet. Her gentle humming resumed as he was vaguely aware of being dried gently with a paper towel. When she was done she crumpled it in her hand and expertly tossed it into the nearby bin.

“All done,” she whispered. “Now let’s get you somewhere nice and warm to take a nap, you need it little guy.”

“My bed is upstairs,” he managed, but she was just smiling and unbuttoning the top of her shirt.

Gently she lowered him into her cleavage. She was by far the most well-endowed woman he’d met since shrinking and as she parted them gently her boobs seemed to swallow him up. Max felt himself drifting off to sleep as he heard her heartbeat and was squeezed by the pillowy flesh.

Erica gave a satisfied sigh as she buttoned her shirt back up and took in the clean kitchen. There was a ding from the oven as the timer indicated the cookies were done. With a smile she went to retrieve them.

…

“Wow,” Sharon’s voice called from overhead, “He looks so peaceful!”

“Is he even alive?” Amy asked.

“I’ve got to take a picture,” Christie said, “he’s so cute! He’s like a sleeping mouse!”

He stirred and opened his eyes slightly, seeing four titanic figures come into focus above him. Sharon, Amy, and Christie were all circled around him, staring down in awe. Erica was standing behind them a bit with a plate of cookies, a smug and satisfied smile on her face.

“Maxwell and I had a wonderful time,” she said sweetly, “and we made cookies for everyone!”

With a start he realized he was tucked, still naked, inside of a soft oven mit. His head was poked out as though it were a sleeping bag. Had he been so tired she’d been able to move him without waking him up?

“H-hey guys,” he said, something about the women all leering over him made him nervous. “Could I get my clothes back?”

Erica produced his tiny outfit, pressed and folded, but Amy grabbed it suddenly, “Come on out Max we’ve all seen it!”

“Hey!” Christie protested, “Don’t bully Max!”

“I’m not bullying him!” Amy protested, “I just want to see his-“

Sharon grabbed the clothes from Amy’s hand and lowered them down to the oven mit, “There you go Max,” She said sweetly.

Max looked at the expectant women, he could easily just pull the clothes into the mit and get dressed with some modesty, but…

With a chuckle and a sigh he stood up and walked out of it naked, Sharon smiled and rolled her eyes while the other three girls clapped and made wolf whistles.

“I’m glad you had fun with him today Erica,” Sharon said, “you can come back tomorrow and Max and I will have a decision for you.”

“Oh about that,” Erica said nervously, “My car actually died right as I was pulling into the driveway. I called a tow truck while Maxwell was asleep but they can’t be here until tomorrow… Would it be too much trouble to stay the night?”

Sharon stared at her a minute then sighed, “Max?” she asked.

“It’s fine with me,” he said, letting Sharon pick him up again. “I don’t take up much space at this size and this house has a ton of rooms I never use, we should have spare rooms even with all of you staying here!”

“Sweet!” Amy said excitedly, “Let’s party! Can I borrow someone’s wallet to order pizzas?”

…

The five of them had a great night together, they sang karaoke and Max was pleasantly surprised to find he could use it just fine if he was placed right next to the microphone. The girls all seemed to get along, and as Max was passed between them he found himself wondering who he should choose… whoever he did pick, he felt he was missing out on the other two…

…

The next day Sharon sat at the table, Max in front of her, as the two of them looked at her tablet. She groaned in frustration as the credit reports for the three girls came in.

“Max,” she muttered, “I was talking to the girls about pricing and I don’t think any of these women can afford you. I don’t know why they wasted my time responding to the ad!” She gestured at their pictures one after the other, “Amy doesn’t work, no surprise she doesn’t have money. Christie just has too many debts she’s paying down, Erica apparently donates almost every cent she earns to charity.”

“Can’t I give one of them the money?” He asked, “you’ve got all my savings and stuff right?”

“I checked the laws,” Sharon muttered, “we can’t use your money for anything but necessities until we get you officially adopted by someone…”

“Sharon,” he said quietly. “Is there any way you could… offer a discount?”

She was silent for a moment, “Max,” she said sadly, “I want to, I really do… but I’ve been doing that a lot lately. A lot of the tinies I catch I try to reunite with loved ones… I don’t ever want to take anything more than they can give, and most of them can’t give a lot.” She sighed, “I’m really deep in the red Max, I’ve been living out of the van and the bank is taking it at the end of the month.” She blinked away a tear, “Sorry Max but… you’re just too valuable for me to walk away from. I promise you I’ll find a place for you, a place you’ll love, but I don’t think it’s going to be with any of those three.”

There was a knock at the kitchen door, slowly Amy, Christie, and Erica walked in.

“We’ve been talking,” Christie began slowly, “And we think we’ve found a solution to the financial issue.”

Sharon raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“We’ve decided to pool our money!” Erica said happily, “together we’ve got almost that hundred thousand you wanted, but if you wait a few more weeks we can get you the rest!”

“I’m selling all of my trading cards for you Max,” Amy said, “Even my black lotus, I hope it’s worth it.”

“It’s going to be worth it!” Christie snapped, “Anyways, can that be done?”

Sharon’s eyes lit up, “Uh, yeah, we can do that, a multiple guardianship isn’t unheard of. What do you think Max?”

“Yeah!” he shouted excitedly, “that sounds great! Are you all just going to move in here permanently?”

Amy shrugged, “I really don’t have anywhere else to go, but I might move my room down to your basement… feels more like what I’m used to.”

“I’ll have to get my company to transfer me, but I think it can work,” Christie said, already typing up a message on her phone.

“It does sound wonderful,” Erica said, “I’ll have to get the pantry stocked and then I’m cleaning this place from top to bottom!”

Sharon leaned back in her chair and sighed contentedly, “Looks like I’ll finally be able to get back on my feet,” she muttered.

“Sharon,” Max began slowly as the girls celebrated, “Do you… maybe want to stay here for a while? It probably beats sleeping in your van.”

She smiled and ruffled his hair with a finger tip, “Well, if you insist… thanks Max.” She grabbed him off the table and stood up to join his three new guardians, who were all busy discussing everything from renovations to the house to a schedule for who would get to play with him when.

As they talked Max realized Sharon had been right, he WAS happy she’d caught him… being adopted as a shrinkee suddenly didn’t seem so bad at all.