Paul and Stella’s mom, Kim, instantly agreed to the plan to shrink Paul. She didn’t even hesitate when Stella had brought the idea up, as if their mom had already thought of Stella using her powers on her brother, and expected Paul to shrink for her eventually. Stella had always been so naturally strong and talented and charismatic, while Paul had always been… well, he was a sweet boy. His family loved him, of course, but they never saw any reason to expect great things from him. Even he didn’t expect great things from himself. But Stella seemed excited about the opportunity, which meant she must’ve seen some kind of potential in Paul. Stella, their sister Evelyn, and their mom; all three of them were starkly individualistic and added something especially unique to the family dynamic. Maybe Stella had finally figured out a way that Paul could fit in too.
Naturally, everyone wanted to watch. Since Stella rarely used her powers, and she almost never used them on other human beings, there was no doubt that it’d be captivating for everyone to witness. So Kim, her two daughters, and the only male of the family had all gathered in the living room; even Kim’s sister was joining them via FaceTime to watch her nephew’s transformation.
“Alright, are you ready?” Stella asked, smiling down at her brother with a kind of authoritative care. She was dressed in an old-fashioned baby blue dress, with frilly white edges and puffy shoulder pieces, just like she had promised. Her hair, normally golden and wavy, had been been both straightened and bleached to more accurately resemble Paul’s animated heroine, and she had long white stockings on with shiny black flats adorning her feet. Kim and Evelyn didn’t quite understand why Stella had had to dress up, but they recognized the outfit and just assumed Stella had chosen to wear it as a joke.
Paul sat criss cross on the ground at his sister’s feet—he’d been so nervous that he’d practically been shivering trying to stand up. But now that the moment had finally arrived, he looked up into Stella’s eyes, trusting her completely. He had idealized what being small for his sister might be like: adventurous, nerve-wracking, maybe even a little scary. But however his experience was about to turn out, there wasn’t anyone he’d rather shrink with than Stella.
Recognizing Paul’s silent enthusiasm, Stella closed her eyes and began concentrating on harnessing her power. A sound like humming electricity began emanating from her, and she knelt down to place her powerful hands on her brother’s meager shoulders. Already her fingers were somehow hot, and Paul quickly felt fatigued and sore as the magic began to course through his body. He watched the room around him grow in size, along with its inhabitants, and he managed an awed smile as his beautiful sister grew larger and higher before him.
Eventually Stella’s nose began to bleed, and her breathing became more forced, so she had to pull away before the magic hurt her too much. But when she opened her eyes, she gasped at the sight of her little brother struggling to stand up. He’d always been small, but it had been in a forgettable and unimportant way. Now he was so small—he was only a few inches taller than her knee—that his smallness was actually noticeable and special. With a look of amazed shock on his face, Stella thought that he looked just so… helpless, and cute.
“Awwww, look at you!” she cooed, scooping him up into a hug before holding him out in front of her like he was a prized possession. “How do you feel?”
“Umm… I’m… I… t-tired,” he stuttered, barely managing to answer her.
She giggled at Paul’s anxiety, putting him back down on the ground. “What, does having a big sister make you nervous?” she grinned, stepping so close to him that her dress brushed against his face and caused him to stumble backwards. Kim and Evelyn laughed watching Stella tease her brother, which only served to encourage the family’s eldest child to increase her playful antics.
“I wonder if you could fit under my dress,” Stella mused, although the question was intended to be rhetorical. Since Paul wasn’t picking up on the suggestion, she gave him an expectant look, and he got down onto his knees in front of her.
“D-do you… um, want me…” he stuttered, and she began nodding with a raised eyebrow before he could even finish his sentence. With an anxious gulp, he crawled forward between Stella’s feet, entering the relatively spacious inside area of her bubbly dress. He glanced around at the large stockings covering her legs, leading up to the petticoat that hung over his head.
“Stand up, doofus,” she lightly scolded him, tapping his bum with the side of her foot. He mumbled out an incoherent and nervous response, but complied with her instruction and gradually got onto his feet again. Even from his vantage point beneath her dress he could see that she was modestly dressed, but the fact that his big sister’s crotch was only a few inches directly over his head made him blush, even though no one could see him.
“Look guys, you can barely tell he’s even there!” Stella laughed, turning to her mom and sister. As she did, her legs bumped into Paul, and his head got gently buffeted back and forth between her thighs in the cramped space.
“You guys are too funny!” Kim exclaimed, making sure to capture everything on camera so their aunt could see through the video call. All four girls had a laugh at Paul’s expense, but despite how humiliating the situation might’ve been for others in his place, he still felt a sense of wonder and exhilaration that what he was doing was even possible in the first place.
“OK, now come on out,” Stella ordered him, and he stooped back down so he could crawl out from beneath the front of her dress again. She leaned over and picked him up like he was a child, holding him affectionately in her arms as she looked over his little body with a smile that hinted at a dozen ideas she was already imagining in her head. “Maybe it was a good thing you never let us get that dog a few years ago Mom,” she said, and began stroking Paul’s back as she held him to her chest. “Because I might’ve never thought to shrink Paulie down like this. And he’s so much cuter and more special than a puppy.” Her family members stood up to gather around her, and as they joined in on petting the smallest member of the family, they all realized Stella was right. Paul was so much more adorable at this size. At barely more than a foot and a half tall, in the arms of his loving sister, he’d finally found his true role within the family.