“You’re taking Jackie to the movies, huh? Bold move for a first date,” Javi remarked. He and Pierce were shooting hoops in the rec center.

            “What do you mean?” Pierce took his shot and missed. If they were keeping track of the score, Javi would be ahead by twenty points.

            “Come on, a tiny takes a big to the movies? We all know how this goes.” The look Pierce sent Javi's way made it abundantly clear he had no clue how this supposedly went. “Don't tell me you aren't familiar with the Popcorn Tub Gambit. It's the oldest trick in the book.” Javi flung the ball behind his back from the foul line, sinking it through the net.

            “The hell are you talking about?” Pierce tossed his ball, hitting the backboard and watching it rebound to the other side of the court.

            “Alright, let me walk you through it. When you get inside the theater, where do you sit?”

Pierce thought for a moment. “I don't know. I've never been to a big theater before. I guess on her shoulder?” Big people's movie theaters typically had special seating for tinies directly under the projector, protruding from the walls on balconies.

            “If you're a coward, sure. But a real man,” Javi fell back past the three-point line and sunk another shot, “sits on the rim of their date's popcorn tub.”

            “Why would I do that?” Pierce grabbed his ball and flung it again and missed again.

            “Think about it. Sitting there, what's behind you?” Javi pretended to juke around Pierce, sinking another shot.

            “Popcorn.”

            “No, you're not sitting over… The popcorn's in front of you, so what's behind you?” Every time Javi made a shot, the ball would bounce back towards his way, as if it were rooting for him to make another one.

            “Jackie.”

            “More specifically.”

            “Jackie's boobs.” Pierce tossed the ball from the foul line and finally sank one.

            “Exactly. Paint the picture in your head. You're sitting there on the rim of that bucket, the fragrance of salt and butter wafting up in front of you while your date's warm breath hits you from behind. You're twenty, maybe thirty, minutes into the movie, both of you are having a good time, and then she reaches into her tub to grab some popcorn. Without thinking, she shakes the tub a little, you lose your balance and fall back between those supple mountains.” Javi darted forward and dunked the ball. The crowd in his head went wild.

            “And then she screams, calls me a perverted freak, and never talks to me again.” Thinking he found his mojo, Pierce took another shot, whiffing completely. “There's no way I'm reaching second base on the first date.”

            “Mixed size relationships travel faster than the speed of light, my guy. Bigs are scheming how to stuff you in their clothes from the moment they lay eyes on you; getting intimate with tinies as soon as possible is simply their nature, like the size difference eliminates the boundaries of personal space. Trust me, she wants this as much as you do, if not moreso.” Javi oft made big claims regarding bigs, but it wasn’t like Pierce had enough experience dating giants to refute them.

            “Okay, but what if I fall forward? Sounds like there's a fifty-fifty chance I wind up between her teeth.” As Pierce dribbled, Javi ran up and stole the ball, making the shot in his stead.

            “That's the gambit. Great rewards don't come without great risk.” Javi noted the fear in Pierce's eyes and adjusted his approach. “Kidding, I’m kidding. This is Jackie we're talking about. She's not going to mistake a person for a popcorn kernel.”

            “Alright, but what if she's covered up? She usually wears T-shirts. If I fell back on that, I'd just roll into her lap.” Pierce tried stealing Javi’s ball, but the athlete outmaneuvered him and made another basket.

            “I already told you, she wants you in her cleavage.” Javi ran to half-court, slung the ball like a shotput, and made it. “I bet she’ll buy something low-cut specifically for this date.”

            “You’re crazy.” Pierce grabbed the ball and went for a layup. Missed. “She wouldn’t put in that much effort for a date with me.”

            Javi tilted his head back and sighed. If he had a dollar for every time he had to put up with this schtick from Pierce, he’d buy out Heather’s penthouse suite. “You’ll see, man. You’ll see.”

…

            Pierce stood outside the massive theater complex by himself, a lone tiny in a cement desert loitering by the building’s outer wall on an expansive sidewalk traversed by towering pedestrians. It was late afternoon. Pierce had been waiting ten minutes, having arrived twenty minutes early, wearing a freshly ironed polo shirt and khaki shorts. A thousand-yard stare accompanied the prickling of nerves crawling beneath his skin. A part of him feared Jackie would change her mind and stand him up; Another part of him hoped she’d come to her senses and stand him up. But beyond the unbridled anxiety, a hearth of excitement burned steady in the back of Pierce’s mind.

            “Hey there,” Jackie said, breaking the tiny from his contemplation. He didn’t notice her approach, but the larger twin loomed over him, casting him in shadow as her colossal figure stretched into the sky. Peering up the human skyscraper, Pierce was immediately caught off guard by Jackie’s top. She wore a lavender crop camisole, suspended by spaghetti straps and split down the center by a deep V-neck. From the ground below, Pierce could look straight through Jackie’s cleavage, the top revealing the full inner curvature of her breasts. The cloth covered little more than lingerie, stopping just above the midriff. Were the twins the same size, Pierce would have figured Jackie had borrowed it from her sister, never expecting the larger twin to be caught dead in something so scanty. Standing there, Jackie tugged at every edge of the fabric, trying to get it to cover more than what was physically possible. The rest of her outfit was more in character, clashing with the ostentatious top. An unzipped hoodie hid her bare shoulders, arms and back. A pair of well-worn jeans spanned her towering legs down to her combat boots, the platforms reaching up to Pierce’s abdomen. And per usual, the home-knit grey beanie kept much of her dirty-blonde bob under wraps.

            “Hi! You look great,” Pierce said. A latent goblin nesting in his thoughts worried complimenting her appearance would make him out to be a creep.

            “Thanks. You clean up nicely yourself.” Jackie crouched down and held her hand out for her date to climb on. Her dormant mind gremlin fretted her remark implied he didn’t normally look good. Pierce stepped onto the open palm and rode the living elevator up to the level of his date’s prodigious chest, forcing him to turn his head from her. Jackie stifled a giggle as she carried him into the theater. The interior was glitzed up in nostalgic décor reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood. Movie posters lined the walls and incandescent light bulbs dotted every doorway and frame. Jackie approached the ticket booth and set Pierce down on the counter.

            “Two tickets for Spider-Man, please,” he said, pulling out his phone and opening a cash-sending app.

            “Well, aren’t you the gentleman,” the older woman behind the glass barrier remarked, causing the tiny to cock his head. “It’s rare to see a tiny buy their own ticket. Most have their friends smuggle them in.” The clerk accepted Pierce’s payment and handed over the tickets, one the size of a microchip. Jackie grabbed hers and let Pierce get back into her hand, carrying him into the lobby and towards the concessions stand.

            “I’ll pay for the concessions if you cover dinner,” Jackie offered.

            “Deal. Just a popcorn and a Diet Coke for me.”

            “Got it.” Jackie greeted the person behind the counter and went ahead with her order. “Two tubs of popcorn and two large Diet Cokes.” For a minute there, Pierce was worried they might get two giant sized tubs and cups, but the theater staff deduced what Jackie meant and gave the couple their correctly scaled snacks. Jackie’s items stood like silos to the two-inch man. Pierce gazed up at the top of the humongous popcorn tub, squinting at the theater’s overhead lights hanging over him. There was no way he was attempting that stupid popcorn trick Javi mentioned, even if Jackie’s outfit seemed well suited for it.

            Jackie lifted Pierce onto the lid of her soda, wrapping one arm around her popcorn and carrying her food and her date to their movie. She found a seat at the end of the row to sit in, far out enough so that Pierce could hopefully still see if someone sat in front of them. Pierce remained sitting on the soda lid, concessions held in either hand, as Jackie lowered the pop tower into the cup holder. There was no way he was attempting that dumb as hell popcorn trick; he wouldn’t even suggest to sit there, the idea so ridiculous.

            Without a word, Jackie softly pinched Pierce between her fingers, hoisting him upwards. It was a sudden shock even with how gentle she was, the tiny unused to unconsenting handling from Jackie of all people. She brought him closer to her chest, careful not to spill his snacks, and plopped him onto the rim of her popcorn tub. Pierce couldn’t believe it. He turned his head and tilted it back to catch a glimpse of his date. Jackie stared off to somewhere in the distance, her cheeks tinted red and her lip quivering.

            No way, Pierce thought. Was Javi right? Is the gambit a real thing?

            The lights in the theater dimmed as the opening trailers began rolling. The room was packed, it being opening night, but to the fresh couple’s luck the seat in front was occupied by a child, meaning neither the tiny man nor the short woman would have difficulty watching the movie. Jackie scooted to the far edge of her seat to ensure there was enough breadth between her and the tall lady seated next to her, mortified by the thought of potentially touching elbows with her. Fortunately, the introvert had her date, the movie, and a whole bucket of popcorn to distract her.

            Jackie dived her hand into the tub and scooped out a heap of buttery kernels. She was careful not to rock the bucket at all, which clearly took considerable focus despite how natural her movements appeared. This proved quite the boon for Pierce as it was awkward to have to hold his drink in one hand and rest his tub on his lap, though the only thing on his mind was the gambit.

            So far, everything had gone as Javi predicted. Pierce didn’t even ask for the unorthodox seating, Jackie just assumed he’d sit there. Given how uncomfortable it was for the tiny, it was not at all inline with her usual behavior, so it’d stand to reason there was a greater purpose behind the act. But still, second base on the first date? Unheard of. Preposterous. Unreasonable. Pierce should be barred from dating for even considering such a possibility. Bigs having a natural inclination towards smothering tinies? That doesn’t even make sense. Sure, they like to coddle small creatures, cuddle with pets, cradle babies in their arms. And sure, mixed size relationships certainly offered a wide variety of intimate interactions, often involving overwhelming a tiny with their giant partner’s prominent features as a mutually beloved show of affection, but to find oneself lost in the valley of dreams so soon was wishful thinking to the max.

            Pierce had become stranded in the labyrinth of uncertainty, so caught up in what ifs he didn’t realize the movie had been playing for over twenty minutes. Suddenly, Pierce could feel Jackie’s breath on his shoulders. The humid air had blown there the whole time, but the tiny could feel the breaths getting shorter. He also felt vibrations rise up through the paper board tub as Jackie tapped her fingers against the container. Just as the film left the exposition, transitioning to the rising action, Pierce felt a tension building in the atmosphere.

            Like a comet descending through the ozone, Jackie’s arm plunged into the reservoir of popcorn, her wrist knocking against the edge of the bucket and sending Pierce careening off the rim. Pierce lost his orientation. One moment he was seated before a sea of salt and butter, the next he was pinned between velvety walls. He could’ve sworn the bucket tilted back just before his tumble, but the minor details didn’t matter anymore. He was entrapped within silky skin barricades, bound by buxom beefers, imprisoned within a bouncing tomb of corpulent flesh, stuck in a spot most desirable, sandwiched between the boobs of his lovely date. Jackie’s heartbeat pounded in his ears. Strawberry scented body wash filled his lungs. A gentle heat radiated off her skin and enveloped the tiny. If there existed a world beyond her, Pierce could no longer tell.

            The trapped tiny looked up through the crack in the sky, a thin sliver that led to the outside. He could see the bottom of Jackie’s chin; she seemed to still be watching the movie, though he couldn’t see her face from his position in her chest. Pierce considered calling out to her, let her know he accidentally fell onto her, but he wondered if she was ignoring him on purpose. She must have felt him in there. He could feel her squeeze her knockers together as if trying to get a better grip on their captured prey. What started as squeezing shifted into kneading his puny frame into her flesh.

            Unbeknownst to Pierce, Jackie crossed her arms under and around her chest, framing her perky features and pressing them together. She could feel his faint heartbeat pulse through her skin and his body shifting as he tried nestling into his new home. Glancing at her neighbor, Jackie was happy to see the other woman oblivious to her little game. No one else in the theater was aware Jackie had her miniscule man stuffed between her mammaries. It was their little secret as the film went on unabated.

            By some miracle, Pierce kept his concessions in his hands, spilling only a minimal amount of miniature kernels. The confines of Jackie’s cleavage were tight, but they offered just enough room for him to snack. Through the slight crack in his skin-tone sky, Pierce could still view most of the movie; now accompanied by two bulbous borders, but viewable enough and well-worth the price of admission.

…

            Credits rolled, and the lights faded on. Jackie stretched her arms skyward, happy that Pierce remained tucked away in the best seat in the house. The larger twin stayed seated as the names of foreign marketing staff scrolled by, most of the moviegoers having long left. With no one around to see her, she plucked her date out from his chamber.

            “Did you enjoy the show?” Jackie asked, holding Pierce up to her eyes. She was trying to sound sultry, but her whole face glowing redder than Rudolph’s nose dampened the intended effect.

            If I say yes, she'll think I'm a pervert, Pierce calculated. If I say no, she'll think I find her unattractive. And I can't say maybe because that doesn't make any sense. Potential responses fired off in Pierce's mind until he finally found one he could settle on. “It was a bit dull at the start, but things really heated up in the second act.”

            “Yeah, I get what you mean.” Jackie stood up and carried Pierce out of the theater, throwing away her detritus on the way out. Outside, the sun retreated behind the horizon, losing its daily contest to the stars of night. Pierce shivered in her palm, adjusting to the open air. The scent of Jackie’s peach hand lotion was buried beneath the buttery aroma of popcorn, and her skin was a tad dry from the salt.

            “What do you want to do for dinner?” Pierce asked.

            “Something simple. McDonalds? Pretty sure there’s one next block over.”

            “That works for me.”

…

            Jackie set her tray down at an empty booth, taking her seat as Pierce stepped off the hard plastic and set his order onto a miniature table placed across from her. In an effort to manage his weight, the tiny planned on getting just a quarter-ouncer w/ cheese and a fry, but the McRib was back, and he hadn't had one since he was a kid, so Pierce decided to splurge and add that on as well.

            “How is it?” Jackie asked from behind her mountain range of food. She got a Big Mac, 10pc nugget, fries, and a strawberry shake. 

            “It's alright, I guess,” Pierce said after taking a bite. “I remember it tasting better when I was younger.”

            “Mind if I try?” Her date ripped off a piece of his sandwich from the other end and placed it on the tip of her index finger. What was really one fourth of the sandwich was no more than a crumb to the giantess, but she licked it off her finger and let it drown in her saliva. “You’re right. That ain't worth the hype.”

            “I'm surprised you can even taste it.”

            “My palate is quite refined, I'll have you know,” she said before scarfing down a fistful of limp fries. “Lynn always gets upset when I steal from her plate. Says I should lick the crumbs off mine if I'm still hungry.” Having spent enough time with the twins, Pierce finally noticed Jackie was not only the taller of the two but also pudgier than her slimmer sister, though that fact was usually obscured by the baggy clothes the giant typically wore.

            “Can’t say I blame her,” Pierce shrugged. “I’d be miffed too if a big ‘borrowed’ from my meal.”

            “Oh crap, did you see that?” Jackie gawked, pointing to the soda fountain in the corner of the restaurant. Pierce turned around to see what she was talking about, giving his date the opportunity to pluck three meager fries from his tray.

            “I don’t see… Hey!”

            “Oh, is something amiss?” Jackie teased, tossing the dinky potato wedges onto her tongue, sticking the muscle out to flaunt her spoils. “And what are you going to do about it? Come and get them?”

            “If that’s what it takes.” Pierce stood and rolled up his sleeves, ready to take back what was rightfully his. Jackie was more than willing to indulge such brazen foolhardiness, but she convinced herself he was joking and swallowed the fries before she gave in to unseemly temptation.

            “Sorry. I suppose that was rude of me.” Jackie grabbed one of her fries and plopped it onto Pierce’s table, each end dangling off the sides like a pool noodle. “Here. Take this as recompense.” Pierce sat back down, joining Jackie in a fit of laughter. The nerves that haunted the couple earlier that evening went the way of crumbs in Jackie’s mouth. Pierce nibbled on the giant fry, its girth proving difficult to wrap his jaw around, before Jackie mercilessly took it back.

            “How’s your PC working?” Pierce asked.

            “Great. Thanks again for your help with that.” Jackie bit into her Big Mac, dripping sauce onto her boob, leading her to scrape it off with her finger and suck it off. Pierce wondered if in a past life he had rescued a gaggle of kids from a burning orphanage or liberated a kingdom from a tyrannical despot. “It’s an old unit, so it can’t handle any triple A games too well, but it’s perfect for older titles and indie stuff.”

            “That’s good to hear. If you want, I can come by again and see if there’s anywhere it could be further optimized.” Pierce had a dollop of barbeque sauce on his cheek. It took all of Jackie’s willpower to resist dabbing it off.

            “Please, you’ve done enough already. It’s fine as it is.” Jackie slurped her shake, trying not to look at Pierce. He got more barbeque sauce on his face, and it dawned on her how perfectly he could fit in the dipping cup that came with her nuggets. “But thank you. Wish I could return the favor.”

            “Never steal my food,” he jested. “Promise me that, and I’ll consider us even.”

            “Fine,” Jackie conceded, rolling her eyes. She put down a nugget and raised her right hand. “I solemnly swear never to… Hey, is that Javi over there?” As soon as Pierce turned his head, she snatched a couple more of his fries.

            “Hey!”

…

            After dinner, Jackie carried Pierce back to his car. Once again, she offered to lift him back to the tiny district, but Pierce was persistent on driving himself.

            “I’ll be working on the car again tomorrow if you want to come hang out,” Pierce offered, stepping into his EV. “Javi’ll be there, helping out as much as always.”

            “Sure thing! Seeya tomorrow.” Jackie waved and watched as the tiny car drove off into a grate leading to the underground highway network. Once her date was out of sight, she zipped up her hoodie and began the not-so-far walk back to her dorm, pulling out her phone and texting Javi.

            Hey, that popcorn bucket thing actually worked!

            Told you it would, Javi replied. A few seconds later he sent a follow-up message: To be clear, he didn’t fall into the popcorn, right? Still don’t get why you thought that was the goal.

            No! I tipped the bucket so he’d fall backwards. A tucked away corner of Jackie's mind dreamed what could have been had Pierce fallen forward instead. I just figured the point was to get him into the popcorn since it was in the name. It’s not that big a deal, don’t think too hard about it.

            Suuuuuuuuure. Whatever sort of stuff you get into with him is your guys’ business. Just try not to traumatize my best friend lol.

            Whatever :P I have no idea what you’re implying. Jackie slipped her phone away and headed home, the evening’s highlight reel repeating on loop in her wandering mind.