The Bar at the Edge of the Universe

Part 2

***WARNING: This work of fiction contains themes of Sizekink, Alcohol Consumption, Cruelty, Foot fetish, Vore, and the implications of Digestion.  It is not intended for anyone under the age of 18 to read***

“Be a dear and lock the door behind you please. Thank you.”

The office locked shut with a grim click of finality that, while unintended by Marcus, certainly suited the circumstances. The young woman that had done the locking was tight with rubber-band tension as she lingered and fidgeted by the doorway, trying vainly not to snap. Marcus sat calmly at his desk while the girl shuffled sheepishly in place. She was manually breathing. It took her a moment to muster the courage to speak, and when she did, she was looking over her shoulder at him. “Am I getting fired?”

Marcus sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Have a seat, Miss Flores. Let’s talk. Do you prefer Miss Flores or Jasmine?”

“Um… Jasmine is good.” She turned fully around and forced a brave face “My friends call me Jas. Thanks.”

“Works for me Jas.” He gestured to the seat opposite him. “Please, sit.”

The young hostess meekly did as she was told. As she took her seat, she made great and unsuccessful efforts to pull down the too-short skirt that was part of the uniform here at The Edge of the Universe. Marcus noted that she had also placed her long black hair strategically to cover any indecencies that the skimpy excuse for a top might expose. The poor girl was visibly uncomfortable. He assumed it was partially from an understandable worry about being called into her boss's office halfway through her shift, and partially from wearing such a compromising outfit in front of him. Both were made all the truer when she dejectedly slouched low in her seat. He sighed again and made a mental note to ask Earl whose idea the revealing uniform was in the first place.

The pair sat in dreadful silence for a beat. Then two. Three. The muffled droning of guests enjoying their lunch in the busy restaurant below was overpowered by rhythmic ticking from an old analog clock on the wall beside them. Despite the January air outside, the office was overly warm and stuffy, heavy air thick in the coffin sized space like steam in a pressure cooker. Jasmine stewed anxiously in it. Marcus was lost thinking in it. She restlessly rocked to and fro in her seat, waiting for him to say something. Marcus had not noticed, and Jasmine’s discomfort was rapidly approaching anguish.

Suddenly it broke, and Jasmine shot upright flushed ruby red in her cheeks.

“If this is about spilling drinks on that nice old couple, I am sosososo sorry Mr. M! Roxanne said she wouldn’t tell anyone but *clearly* she did and I’m really really sorry but I also really need this job so please please please don’t fire me!”

The rapid-fire outburst startled Marcus out of his thoughts, and he had bolted up to match her erect posture. Tears were welling in Jasmine’s eyes as she struggled to maintain her composure, and she was sniffling. Marcus frowned in manufactured sympathy and pulled a tissue from the box on top of his desk. He handed it slowly across to the poor girl, trying his best to smile. “Hey, hey now. No need to be so formal, call me Marcus. How old are you, Jas?”

Jasmine snatched the tissue out of his hand and blew her freshly leaking nose. She stuttered “T-t-twenty-three.”

Marcus hid a wince, an unwelcome jolt of guilt striking him. So young, he thought I hate doing this when they’re so young. He steeled himself mentally; he had to keep this moving. “Well, your employment status isn’t fully up to me to decide I’m afraid. HR will handle that when the time comes. I’m just here to get some preliminary questions in before we go handing you off, okay?”

Jasmine wiped her eyes, smearing eyeliner on her wrist. She sniffed her nose one more time and took a deep breath. “O-ok Mr. M.”

“Marcus.” he corrected. At least she hasn’t started sobbing. “How long have you worked at The Edge, Jasmine?”

“This is my second week.” She said “I-it’s my first time working in a restaurant.”

 “Is that why you’re so eager to keep your position here?”

“W-well yes!” She nodded earnestly “It’s a really really great introduction to the industry! And pretty much everyone knows The Edge of the Universe, it’s like a city landmark! Plus I really need the money for school...”

Marcus inclined his head. “You’re a student? I didn’t know. What are you studying?”

Jasmine perked up a tad, “Kinesiology! It’s really interesting how the human body moves. I want to go into sports rehabilitation someday.”

He nodded with encouragement, hoping to maintain the upbeat tone “I’m sure your parents are very proud of you.”

“I hope so! I mean...” She deflated “I haven’t seen them in a while. It’s tough being an international student, ya know? I’m hoping to save up enough money working here so that I can afford a flight home this summer.”

Somehow that made Marcus feel both better and worse about the situation they were in. On the one hand Jasmine had not worked at The Edge for very long, so likely no regulars had grown attached to her. She was an international student, so her presence wasn’t going to be a problem in the long run. She was unlikely to have forged deep friendships with any of the long-term staff, both as a newcomer to the country and to the business itself. The only one she’d mentioned by name was Roxanne, and not very positively. Funny, that.

On the other hand, she was young, educating herself, and in his opinion an all-around lovely girl. Easy on the eyes too, which had always been a weakness of his. Too much of a weakness. Maybe the current uniform had been his own idea after all...

Focus, he told himself. The guilt was still jabbing at him. That was new, and it took Marcus a little by surprise; he had never felt this bad about this sort of thing before. A lot of people had come and gone through The Edge over the years, many just like Jasmine. Many had situations had been more sympathetic than hers as well. He intended to give her the same chance all the others had, so how was this any different?

Marcus was snapped out of his frustrations by his phone buzzing on the desk. He picked it up and saw a simple text message precluded by a flirty winking face lit across the home screen.

‘Ready when you are.’ It read.

He glanced back at Jasmine who was once more shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She had been left in silence for a little too long while Marcus was thinking and had started to revert into angst.

It doesn’t matter, he reasoned to himself, nothing matters but this. Nothing but Del.

Marcus pulled open a drawer on his desk and retrieved a pair of thin, square glasses which he carefully put on his face. He attempted what he hoped was a genuine and empathetic smile before he spoke: “Well that’s about all my questions Jasmine, thank you. I know it was short, but we try to be fast movers with this sort of thing. Delara will see you now; she’s our head of HR and my business partner.”

The restaurateur stood and moved around the side of his desk. He motioned at Jasmine with one hand and pushed up his glasses bookishly with the other, “If you wouldn’t mind...?”

“Oh!” Jasmine got the hint and shakily stood, tucking her chair into the front of the desk as she did so. She was playing with her hair and glancing around the small office, consternated. “Is...is she here now? Or are we going to see her?”

  “Both I suppose.” Said Marcus. He adjusted his glasses in agitation as he scrutinized a dusty corner of the office behind Jasmine. He waved his hands about like he was brushing aside bushes or vines in a jungle path. “It's not like she goes anywhere that isn’t here, she can’t, it wouldn't be physically possible. But it sometimes proves difficult to get her goddamn Doorway open...”

He stopped himself in the middle of a particularly aggressive swipe and peeked over at his employee. Jasmine was staring at him like he had just grown nine heads.

“Ah.” He said, a little embarrassed “Sorry Jasmine, I must look like a crazy person right now. I promise I’m not; the Doorway is taking a little longer to fully lock down than normal. Odd, considering she just sent a text through it. Won’t be a moment longer; I’ve almost got it...”

With a flourish and using both hands like he was tearing an improbably large piece of paper, Marcus grunted and pulled open the empty air around him. He wiped his brow and trod over to his desk again, satisfied. “There we go! Took a bit of effort this time, I’ll have to investigate that.”

Nodding thoughtfully at his invisible handiwork, he addressed Jasmine slowly.

“Well, that’s that then. It’s been a pleasure Jas and...” he smiled, pitying. “Thank you for your time.”

The atmosphere in the room changed, like all the air pressure had been blown out and instead replaced instead with something physical. A gust burst past Jasmine from the rear sending her dark hair streaming into her face. The musk and dank of the old building were gone, and in its place was the overbearing warmth of vanilla cream.

Jasmine didn’t have a moment to contemplate as her bewilderment turned to fear. Giant fair-skinned tendrils whisked past her body, blocking out the light and any chance of her reaching the door she had locked earlier. There were five of them, four on her right, one on her left.

Not tendrils, she realized. Fingers.

Before she could scream the enormous hand clasped around her and knocked the wind from her lungs in its vice-like grip. A finely manicured and gelled thumbnail rested a knife’s breadth away from her neck, as if to discourage any of the already limited squirming she could manage. She choked out a pathetic and gargled whimper and stared at Marcus, her tears pleading.

Marcus looked down and away, a conflicted grin stuck halfway between pain and pleasure on his face.

With force, Jasmine was yanked backwards and would have snapped her neck had she not been held so firmly. The wind rushed by, and she expected to find herself outside The Edge of the Universe in the clutches of some monster attacking downtown Winnipeg. Instead, the hand had pulled Jasmine through a ghostly portal of sorts with invisible borders. One moment she was in The Edge, the next she was…here.

‘Here’ was a circular and spartan place that had no windows. By any metric it was enormous; the entirety of The Exchange district could have easily fit within its surreal walls. A large, cylindrical post made of unknown metal stood brutally in the middle of the space holding up a domed roof. Several support beams stretched off it like a great steel tree. In the distance it looked like some areas had been haphazardly sectioned off with makeshift barriers and screens to create rooms like that in a house. There was a titanic bathroom with a visible sink that could double as a swimming pool. Partitioned from that, a bed the size of a football field. Across from there were some dumbbells all strewn in one corner that were like buses and a yoga mat with the same square footage as Jasmine's apartment.

The area she was currently in was carpeted in red; faded fibers half her height reached up like fluffy grass fields. To her left was a large console with what appeared to be a flatscreen TV on it, although this TV could have doubled as a theatre screen. To her right was an elegant chaise lounge strewn with great pillows in star and heart shapes. Some sort of rec room perhaps.

And directly in front of her were the smiling beet-red lips of a giant redheaded woman.

“Oh heeeeeyyyyy!” Said the giantess “You must be my 12’oclock!”

Jasmine’s captor was hunched over on all fours like a cat and grinning just as predatorily. Dressed in black spandex shorts and a loose white top that could easily tent a couple dozen people, she looked more like she came from a gym than whatever alien facility this was. Her face was almost a perfect oval and fair, with prominent cheeks that were heavily freckled. A long thin nose was perfectly set between them, and resting on that nose were a pair of thick rimmed circular glasses through which ocean-deep eyes gleefully regarded the diminutive girl in their clutches.

The woman sat up causing a rapid change in altitude that made Jasmines ears pop. She sat back on her bare heels with a little bounce and exhaled audibly.

“Hoooo! Alright, sorry we’re getting started a little late, I know Marcus likes to drone on and on and can be so boring sometimes. And then when he can’t find the Doorway quick enough, well it keeps you guys in that dingy office all that much longer and makes EVERYONE late for lunch. Anywho...” She looked inquisitively at her crying captive “You are...?”

Jasmine couldn’t answer, the shock and pain of the situation was still crashing through her mind and rendering her mute.

“Jasmine Flores.” Marcus called up from below. He had crossed over the threshold linking his office to this place and was trudging towards them through the thick carpet. Jasmines eyes darted down to him, streaming tears like a waterfall, silently begging. Marcus didn’t meet her gaze. “Friends call her Jas.”

“Hiya Jas!” Beamed the giantess. “I’m Delara, Marcus’s partner in all things...well...uh...partner-y. Doesn’t matter; I’m going to be conducting your interview today! Isn’t that exciting?”

Jasmine stuttered painfully through her sobs. “Y-you’re Delara?”

Delara giggled and flipped her long red hair over her head dramatically. “Yup! The one and only!” She winked at Jasmine “Not what you were expecting, am I? Yeah, I get that a lot with Marcus’s people. Honestly the shock factor is one of the best parts for me, it never gets old! The surprise on your tiny faces is oh so cute, it makes me want to just...!!!”

The red head tightened her grip and squeed loudly, shaking her fists (and Jasmine) back and forth in her over stimulation. Jasmine wanted to shout out in pain as gigantic fingers compressed her body unnaturally, but she was in such agony that all she could manage was a whimper. She thought she heard cracking.

The giantess giggled and ran the fingers of her free hand through her lush hair in a wave, looking at the diminutive Jasmine with longing. She leaned in and whispered to Jasmine like she was telling a dirty secret “In fact, we could always just skip the interview and move on to lunch, doncha think Jas? I don’t know about you, but I can never truly enjoy myself on an empty stomach anyways…”

“Del.” Marcus chided, “Interview first.”

Delara pouted, rolling her eyes. “Ugh, you’re no fun today, Marcus. For a pipsqueak, he sure does like to play the role of ‘big tough boss man’, doesn’t he Jas?” She snickered at the miniature woman in her hand, “I mean, could you imagine giving me commands in your position right now? You couldn’t, right?”

Jasmine didn’t say a word. Delara shrugged contemptibly at her silence, “Ah well. I suppose we should do what he says before we begin integrating you into management. We’ll make it a quickie though, ok? I’m starving.”

Jasmine couldn’t believe what she was hearing “I-integrate me into management? I thought I was getting fired...and...and you were gonna-”

“Awwww” cooed Delara, stained lips close enough to Jasmine that her breath could be felt with every word, “Sweetie no! We’re not firing you! You’re becoming a part of bigger and better things! That’s what this is all for, to see if you’re a good fit. So to speak.”

An unearthly groan thundered from somewhere below Jasmine, like some great waking beast. She was confused until she saw the giantess wince and grimace, embarrassed. Delara put her free hand to her stomach to soothe it, and Jasmine had terrifying clarity. Delara looked apologetic.

“Oooh man.” She said “Sorry ‘bout that, but like I said, let’s make this a quick one. A girl’s gotta eat ya know, and my tummy is rumbling!”

Like a python releasing its catch, Delara’s fingers uncoiled from around Jasmine’s body. Her hand rotated as she did so, allowing the waitress to crumple into a breathy pile on her palm. Oxygen rushed back into her prone being, and she greedily gulped at the air around her. Without the pressure from Del’s fingers, pain crept into Jasmine’s rib cage from when she had been squeezed. It hurt to move so she made no attempts to sit up yet.

Delara paid no heed to her interviewee’s discomfort and pressed on dutifully “So, I’m sure Marcus already asked you some of these questions, but I wasn’t there so do me a favor and answer them anyway, ‘kay?” She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat “How old are you, where are you from, and whatcha doin’ in the Peg?”

Jasmine felt like she was about to cough up a lung. She wasn’t certain what Delara had planned for her, but where she had once seen only death, she saw the chance of an opportunity now. Potentially even of hope. There was what might have been curiosity on the giant face in front of her. If she could really have the woman’s genuine interest, maybe Delara would also be genuine in her intent? It was a long shot, but it was all she had. She didn’t want to think about the alternative. Jasmine creaked upright, painfully setting herself before speaking.

“I uh...I’m 23. I’m from the Philippines originally, but I came to Winnipeg for-”

“Oh!!!” Interrupted Delara “I don’t think I’ve ever had one from the Philippines! Marcus; the map, do the thing!” She snapped impatiently down at the man like she was commanding a dog. Compliantly he walked over to a surprisingly human sized console near the base of the chaise longue. After a few button presses, the monumental TV turned on with a map of the Earth.

Delara eagerly shuffled over on her knees, careful not to drop Jasmine, and began scanning the map. When she located the Philippines, she hummed thoughtfully. “Ahhhh! East Asian country. Island nation with proximity to China and Japan, Indian trade routes. I bet...” She looked down at Jasmine knowingly “you like your food spicy! Am I right?”

“Uh...not really. We tend to prefer more sweet and salty flavors and-”

“Reaaaallllyyyyyy!” Interrupted Delara again. She was glowing with feline excitement. “Aggh you have no idea how happy I am to hear that! I really don’t like spicy food, so this is a huuuuge relief. Never sits well in my stomach.”

Delara fell back away from the TV and onto her butt with an “oof!”, struggling to maintain the stability in her hand supporting Jasmine. The poor tiny girl nearly fell off. She crossed her legs and smiled at Marcus.

“You really picked a good one this time, my love. You’re finally acting like you know me. In fact,” She returned her attention to Jasmine, “I’m pretty satisfied with the interview and my tummy is just killing me, so I say why don’t we wrap this up?”

Delara’s stomach growled obnoxiously again, and she bit her lip. She rocked side to side on her bottom with anticipation and kept glancing down at Marcus like an expectant child. Marcus stared at her, blank faced.

“Del, can you try to try? We agreed. At least ask one more question. You’re supposed to be my HR.”

Delara waved her hand dismissively “Fine fine fine fine, if it’ll make you happy. What was the last one I asked anyways? Oh! Right, what brought you to Winnipeg, Jas?”

Jasmine was rattled with a growing sense of dread. It was beginning to feel less like Delara had a genuine interest in her and more that she was playing some sick game to tease her out of her sanity. The way the woman was looking at her, she was practically drooling. Despite her angst, Jasmine didn’t have any other options, what with being 100ft up in the air on top of Delara’s hand. For now, she had to play along and look for any opening to make an avenue of escape. She bitterly braced herself.

“I’m a student, miss De-”

“Pfft” Delara interrupted a third time, some droplets of spittle hitting Jasmine's face as she pursed her lips. The titanic woman looked bemused “Miss! Might as well just say Ma’am. Please, just call me Del, or you’ll make me feel old.”  She thumbed at Marcus. “If he calls me that, then you sure can.”

Jasmine was horrified, shakily wiping herself off with her arm. She answered stiffly “O-ok. Right. Just Del. Fine. I’m a student at the University of Manitoba. I’m studying Kinesiology.”

The predatory gleam in Delara’s eyes temporarily gave way to intrigue. “Oh no way! A fellow scientist of the body! This keeps getting better and better.” She cleared her throat regally and sat up straight and presentable. “I’m a PhD student myself, biology. Eight years of the stuff and still technically in school, can you believe it? You’re 23 so you must be finishing up your undergrad amirite? Whatcha specializing in?”

“Umm, body movement and performance. I want to go into sport rehabilitation.”

Delara looked impressed “Oh wow! It’s been so long since I’ve spoken to someone who really appreciates how the body moves and works! Jas you have been just such a surprise, I’m literally thrilled. I can’t believe Marcus was hiding you from me. What a treat!”

Jasmine forced a smile “Yeah, well... it’s been nice to meet you too, Del. I’m, uh, excited for the opportunity to work closely with you. What did you specialize in with your biology degree?”

Delara continued “Aww Jas, you’re such a sweetheart for saying so! I can assure you; you and I will be working very close.” She was still looking at the tiny woman in her hand when she asked, “That won’t be a problem, will it Marcus?”

Marcus stood stone faced. He took a deep breath and shrugged. “If you’re satisfied my love, after all that, then who am I to deny you?”

Delara was giddy “Hehehe! Thank you, my darling! Well then, that concludes my interview, Jasmine. I am very satisfied and eager to have you start in your new role. We have an immediate vacancy that needs to be filled right now.” She winked “So, little Jas, welcome in!”

Delara’s hand snapped flat, smooth and sharp. Her fingers squeezed taut like steel beams jostling the waitress atop it. Jasmine was raised directly up to the grinning redhead; colossal lips aligned with where the wrist meets the palm. Terror flooded into her being as every instinct in Jasmine’s body began screaming for her to run, but where could she go? She was several hundred feet in the air in the possession of a giant. She froze, panic and fear overwhelming and shattering her already battered and bruised body and mind. Delara licked her lips.

“Oh, and I specialized in anatomy. Specifically, the digestive system. Bye Jas!”

Eyes closed, Delara nonchalantly opened her mouth. She causally tilted her hand creating a slide for her snack to tumble down. Jasmine’s brain reactivated. The small server scrambled and squirmed in desperate futility against gravity. Despite her best efforts, there was simply nothing to grab on to atop Delara’s smooth and vanilla fingers. As Jasmine slid, Delara’s maw opened wider and wider, her breath dousing the tiny girl in moist, humid air. Jasmine could see to the back of Delara’s throat, a long and narrow uvula pointing downwards into fleshy darkness. Strands of saliva snapped off her teeth and her tongue as she opened wide enough to fit her prey. The latter snaked out, plump and thick, to pillow its screaming victim as she skidded downwards. Jasmine kicked wildly trying to prevent herself from falling into its grasp. Her feet and calves became wet and sticky as she jabbed at Delara’s tastebuds.

When Jasmine’s thighs inevitably plopped onto her tongue, Delara flicked her hand upward and scooped the screaming woman into her mouth with a playful “Aughm.” She giggled as she swished the waitress around her mouth, savouring and sucking on her flavour. Occasional pops of her pursed lips, like she was suckling on a piece of sour candy, allowed bursts of mortifying screams from her victim to escape the confines of her mouth.

Then, Delara swallowed. It wasn’t long or drawn out or overexaggerated like her teasing and tasting had been. Marcus wouldn’t have even noticed she had done so, except for a soft, wet, and morbid “glick” from Delara's throat. The faintest flex of the muscles in her slender neck was all it took to send his former employee to their new role as his lover's food. He wondered if Jasmine could appreciate that, given her studies.

For her part, Delara looked like a pleased and pampered house cat after a treat. “Ho Boy,” she said “She is a wiggler! I can’t believe she had so much energy going down; I coulda sworn I broke a rib or two on her earlier.” Delara leaned back on one hand rubbed her tummy happily with the other, humming as she did so. “You were wonderful, Jasmine. Just Delish. Thanks for lunch, and from one bio girlie to another, let me know if anything looks amiss in there, ok?”

She smacked her belly and smirked down at Marcus, but he was staring off into space. He didn’t even seem to register her teases at all. Undaunted, Delara decided to take the game a step farther.

“And don’t worry about your old position.” She lovingly stroked her quietly gurgling belly, “We’ll be eliminating it.” She awkwardly leaned to her side, angling her butt at Marcus. In the black tights her curves were electrifying, and she knew it. Marcus, stoic as he could be, was not immune to such majesty and she caught him glancing her way. Her mischievous smirk deepened.

She slapped her ass like a seal and laughed as it jiggled “And we WILL be conducting exit interviews. See you tomorrow morning?”

Marcus frowned. “Gross Del. Can you at least pretend to show some decorum?”

Delara sat up and frowned back at him “I have been Marc, that’s what this whole HR and interview pony show was about, right?”

“And yet you treated it like foreplay.” he scolded

“Wasn’t it?”

“No.”

“Then why didn’t you stop me?”

“Could I have?”

“No.”

“Then there you go.”

Delara rolled her eyes, “Oh my god, what sort of stick do you have up your ass right now and how sharp is it? You want me to pull it out?”

Marcus ignored her and turned away. “You really felt nothing for that girl?”

Delara poked her tummy curiously “Well she is making me feel a little bloated, now that you mention it...”

“Del!”

She threw her hands up “Ok, ok fine! No, I didn’t Marcus. She was just one of dozens, hundreds, of people I’ve eaten over the years. I enjoyed every second of it.” She sulked “Usually you do too.”

Marcus didn’t respond right away, he opted instead to mutely study the carpet. Intensely. A fed up Delara broke the silence.

“Why do you make me interview them?” She asked.

 “Huh?”

“Why go through the ridiculous process of an interview? At first, I thought it was some kinky roleplay you were making me do, (which I’ll have you know I was ALL about, more please), and now I’m beginning to think it has nothing to do with that!” She leaned down close to Marcus “Is this a power thing for you?”

Marcus laughed, incredulous “What? Power?”

“Well, ya know,” Delara mulled “given the obvious imbalances in our relationship I figured maybe you’ve been feeling a little emasculated lately and wanted to play the ‘big boss’ type to regain some sort of semblance of power and control.” she blinked “Which is very valid by the way! Totally understand if that’s the case.”

He smiled despite himself. “Thank you for your concern, but no my love, the interviews are not a power thing-”

“Good” she interrupted, “you were never good at playing dominant anyway.”

“-they are a moral thing.”

Delara amusedly tilted her head. “Moral?”

“Del, the girl you just ate-”

“Jasmine.”

“Yes, Jasmine. I wanted you to get to know her. Learn a bit about who she was, how she ticked. I thought that if maybe you could understand how she felt, how everyone I’ve made you interview felt, then maybe it meant they could understand how we felt. About the relationship between predator and prey. About the intimacy they were about to experience with you that I can only dream of. About the necessity for you, for us, both instinctual and sexual. The primal aspects of it all.” He paused and gulped. “And I guess I thought that maybe, one day, one of them would be worth letting go. That you would see in them the human, the peer in them, and not just like they’re food. And maybe I thought that if even just one was let go, that would be enough to forgive what I’ve-” He caught himself “...we’ve done.”

The two were still for a moment, the only sound was Delara’s softly digesting stomach. She shifted her glasses and put a hand down to Marcus. He stepped comfortably and subconsciously onto it like it was the most normal thing in the world. She lifted him up to her face and regarded him for a second before planting a giant kiss on his head in a greatly flamboyant fashion. Her lips practically engulfed his entire upper body and when she pulled away, he was red with lip stick as much as he was flushed in the face.

“MWAH! Oh, my sweet little man” Delara said “Of course they’re human first.”

Marcus blinked, surprised by her answer. “...They are? ”

Del laughed at the look on his face. “Sweetie, we’ve been together a little over 4 years now, and in all this time, after all these people, you seriously don’t get it? I don’t eat them because they’re food to me, you silly!” She got close again “I eat them because they’re human.”

She chuckled as Marcus’s brain chewed on that fact. His face was blank, but his mind was rapidly overthinking what she said.

“Come on” she said half-rolling her eyes “you must have known, be honest! You have Earl bring me more than enough ‘normal’ food. I’m not starving like I was when you found me here.” She put her hand on the chaise behind her and let Marcus step off onto the furniture. Once he was down, she folded her hands and leaned her head against them on the cushion, her glasses going askew on her face. “You can’t think it was still like the first time, not with how long it’s been.”

Marcus shook his head “No I...I guess I knew. It was just easier. Much easier to-”

“To pretend that you were feeding me people for my nutrition's sake rather than because both of us get off to it?”

He coughed. “Yes. That.”

“My love, take it from a gastrointestinal biologist, you little guys are calorie dense and tasty, but you are sososo not good for me.” She took one of her hands and grabbed the layer of fat on her belly to give it a jiggle. Comedically, she stuck her gut out as much as she could. “Look!” she melodramatically bemoaned, “you guys have just ruined my figure!”

Marcus was charmed. He couldn’t take his eyes off her “ruined” figure. Delara avidly exercised and even the extra calories from her favourite treats only accentuated her muscles and curves, it did not diminish them.  He marveled at her, “You’re beautiful.”

Delara giggled and stopped shaking her belly. She used her index finger to pat Marcus affectionately, delicately, on his head. “I know. Thank you, handsome.”

Marcus wrapped his arms around the digit in as tight a hug as he could muster. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she asked

“For seeking outside forgiveness when the only person’s approval I should be seeking is yours. You are all that matters Del, your happiness, your pleasure, your wellbeing. Both you and I thoroughly enjoy this. That’s enough for me.”

The giant redhead purred, “Aww, what an adorable tiny guy! I could just eat him right up.”

Marcus grinned back “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

“Hmmhmm, don’t go looking like one.”

They grew quiet and cozy. The two basked in each other's energies for a while, enjoying the silence and company. After some time, Marcus gritted his teeth, preparing himself to give bad news.

“Kurtis Marlow is dead.”

Delara’s head popped up immediately. She looked scared, then immediately switched to anger. “What? Marcus, why didn’t you say something sooner? What happened?”

Marcus released her finger “I can’t say with absolute certainty, but I think he was killed.”

“Killed? How do you know?”

Marcus reached into his pocket and pulled out an incredibly tiny pair of glasses identical to the ones he was wearing. They were bent and broken and could have been mistaken for a small paperclip by a casual observer.

For Delara it was like trying to focus on a single grain of sand. She pushed her own glasses close to her face and squinted. “What am I looking at here?”

“Dr. Marlow’s Doorway glasses.”

She scoffed “But they’re so tiny! They’re to you what your glasses would be to me!”

“Precisely.” Marcus said.

Delara caught on and her eyes went wide. She put a hand to her mouth in surprise. “He did it. He actually did it. He made the device, the shrink ray. It worked.”

“Yes. It did.”

She slammed a fist into the chaise cushion, causing Marcus to lose his footing in the tremor. “And then the idiot went and shrunk himself by accident!”

He collected himself quickly, used to her outbursts. “Well...no. I think someone shrank him.”

“Shrank him?” she questioned “Deliberately you mean?”

“Yes. She was not subtle.”

Del raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

“An employee of mine.”

She put a hand on her stomach, face disgusted like her lunch had betrayed her “Not Jas?”

“No, not Ms. Flores, though I see why you would think that.” He gestured to his partner's belly “It would be a fitting punishment really. Poetic Irony. However no, it was a longer-term employee. Roxanne LaCroix.”

The giantess shook her head “Why though?”

Marcus shrugged, stroking his beard “I’m not sure, truth be told. The Edge is old, and we never really had the time to install security cameras. Money and effort spent elsewhere. I can only speculate I’m afraid.”

She tutted. “Well did you recover the body? I can try examining it if you want, at least what’s left. See if there are any clues.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” said Marcus bitterly, “Not unless you want to go searching through the Winnipeg sewage system.”

Delara was aghast “She ATE him?”

“Yes. She did.”

There was a pregnant pause. Delara snickered. “Heh. My kind of girl.”

Marcus snorted. “I figured you’d like that.”

The air was dead for another moment, left sitting in the dark humour. Eventually Delara clicked he tongue sadly. “Oh, my love, I’m sorry. You knew Kurt for a long time; I’m so sorry for your friend.”

He crossed his arms. “Not quite friends but thank you sweetheart. Long-time business partner. Acquaintance maybe. Regardless, thank you. He was always a pompous asshole, but without him I never would have met you, so there’s that.”

“True,” she mused, “I guess he was a useful little guy in the end.” She paused, then shifted inquisitively and eagerly “Sooooo, what about the shrink ray? Do you have it? Is the plan finally a go?”

Marcus didn’t say anything. Delara’s gaze turned cold. “Marcus, what did you do?”

Sheepishly, Marcus faced his giant lover. “I uh, may have let Roxanne keep it for-”

“YOU DID WHAT!?!?” Delara raged. “Marcus, what about the plan?”

He put his hands up defensively “The plan is still on Del, but there are other factors at play here you’re not considering.”

“Like making some piece of ass you employ happy?”

“Del, come on-”

“Oh no,” She roared “far be it from me to tell you who is qualified to run your little bar, but I know the type you hire. I’m not blind you know.” Delara pushed up her glasses aggressively. “Like the one I ate, she was a little cutie! And the one before that too, body like an hourglass! Do you even hire men for front of house?”

“Well actually there is one-”

“NOT the point Marcus!”

“Right. Sorry.”

Delara was shaking with anger “That must be one of the rarest pieces of tech in the universe.”

“I know.”

“Worth beyond measure!”

“I know”

“Irreplaceable too, since its creator is now just fat on some waitress's ass.”

“Del, please-”

She ignored him, her voice raising. “What about getting me out of here, huh? Four years Marc, and you give my best shot to some floozy who works at your dive bar, because what, her tits are nice or some stupid shit like that? You wanna watch her eat some people or something? You tired of getting off to just me doing it?” She glowered, “Or maybe you finally want to take the plunge yourself. With her.”

“My love that isn’t fair I-”

“Don’t you DARE talk about fairness to me, little man!” Delara’s voice broke as tears pooled in her eyes “You get to go outside, you get to leave your house, you get to LIVE! And what do I get, huh? A gilded cage, your pet giantess to help you live your kinky fantasies through.”

Delara grabbed a gigantic pillow from the chaise and hucked it across the room with a shriek. It must have hit something breakable, because there was a crash and shatter. She pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. Her long red hair draped across her face so that it shielded her face from the view of her tiny lover.  Marcus could hear little sniffles from behind the canopy, and his heart ached with remorse. He cautiously walked towards her clifflike shoulders and put his hands out defensively, as one would do to calm a horse.

“Del-”

“What.”

“Del listen-”

“I said WHAT?”

“Yes, but are you actually listening?”

She lifted her head bitterly. Her cheeks were red and her blue eyes were starting to swell. She sniffed sharply “I’m not a child, Marcus.”

He nodded “I know, I just need to make sure you’re going to listen to what I have to say, in its entirety before you talk, ok? No interruptions.”

Delara scowled through her tears “I don’t do that.”

Marcus wrang his hands together “Well sometimes you do, so-”

“You have 30 seconds before you’ll be interrupting my lunch by joining her in my belly, tiny.”

Marcus laughed awkwardly “Right, as it goes. Ok, look. The plan is still on, we’ve just hit a few wrinkles, the least of which is Roxanne LaCroix. Yes, I let her keep the shrink ray, but only temporarily. She knows about its capabilities, and likely suspects we know about her involvement in Dr. Marlow’s disappearance. It’s in her interest to keep it safe and secret from literally everyone else. She must, for her not to have her own dirty laundry revealed in turn. We look ignorant and innocent, while she didn’t just kill a man; she shrank and ate him. Explain that in a way that looks unintentional.”

Delara wiped her nose with her fist and then used it to push her hair back behind her ear. “I guess that makes sense. Keep going.”

He took a moment to breathe. Roxanne really was the least of their worries. “On top of that, the ray didn’t fire when I tried to use it. Either it was a one shot-”

“I will rip her head off if it was...”

“-or there’s a way to charge it that we haven’t figured out yet. Kurtis wasn’t an idiot; I don’t think he’d make something that had only one charge to it. Too much could go wrong.”

“Ok, but how does that help us?” She squinted “Kurt’s dead; it’s not like he can tell us how to recharge it.”

“Yes” Marcus said “He’s dead. We also have no proof he made the other half of the equation we commissioned.”

Delara was thinking now, tears receding “Yeah, but it’s like you said, he wasn’t stupid. He’d never come to present you one without the other already being done. He knew this was a package deal.” She grumbled “He was asking enough for it.”

Marcus nodded. “Exactly. I saw no trace of it in the bar, and there was no way it was on Roxanne’s person. That can only mean-”

“It’s still in his lab!” Delara exclaimed, the giant Watson to Marcus’s tiny Sherlocke. He was proud despite himself. She was still interrupting, but she was engaged and herself again, and he loved her for it. “Well at least we can lock down one problem.” She said “You’re sending Earl to go get it, yeah?”

 “There is one problem my love.” He frowned, dreading this part the most. “The Doorway he opened was left open. I got there too late and couldn’t close it; it’s become unstable. We’d need someone with at least the expertise of Dr. Marlow to even attempt to close it, and that’s unlikely for us to come across.”

Delara shook her head “I don’t understand, who cares? You can still go through it, can’t you? Just go get the growth ray from his lab.”

“It doesn’t lead to his lab anymore.” Said Marcus soberly.

Delara’s pursed her lips into a narrow line. “Then where does it go?”

“Everywhere.”

She blinked. “I don’t get it.”

“Everywhere, Del! It leads to every universe, every dimension, every possible reality and it changes which one near hourly.”

Marcus let what he said sink in dramatically. He hoped she would understand his worries. The giantess blinked again.

“Oh” Delara said, sounding disappointed. “Ok then.”

“…What?” Marcus was flabbergasted. “I’m sorry, but what? ‘OK then’ that’s it? This is a crisis, Del! I have a fucking unstable artificial dimensional wormhole outside of my goddamn bar that isn’t even visible to the naked eye!”

“Yeah, I mean I get that,” She drawled “buuuut you kinda had me under the impression it was all of them all at once or something crazy like that. Just switching between them every hour or so isn’t so bad. Controllable even.”

“Controllable, eh?” He mocked, “How do you figure?”

Delara rolled her eyes “Ok, you need to cool it with the attitude little man. Look, it’s practically invisible to the naked eye, right? And while this end is static, the other side is switching every so often, like you said. So, the odds are low some other dimensional person or thing or whatever will stumble through before it cycles again.” She looked at Marcus like this was obvious. “Just put something in front of your end to make sure nobody stumbles through. And if they do, oh well, they’ll just be left in a new dimension after an hour. Sucks to be them.”

Marcus was given pause. “And what if, on the off chance, someone/something DOES come through to our end?”

She snickered “Well it’s gonna be at least Kurt’s size or smaller; it was his doorway. We know you can’t make ‘em artificially bigger. Look at my situation.”

“True,” He nodded. He was starting to agree with her “if something does come through it should be fairly easy to handle.”

“You could always send ‘em up to me if you can’t.” said Delara “I love exotic tastes.”

Marcus laughed “That you do my love, that you do.” He exhaled air he didn’t realize he was holding on to, and it was like the weight of the world lifted off his chest. Talking to Del always helped him form a plan instead of panicking. “Alright, I’ll have Earl set some barricades and make it look unsafe. I still have contacts on the city council, we’ll make it look like the city is doing some work there until we figure out how to get it to cycle back to Kurt’s lab. Somehow.”

She rubbed his hair with her pinky finger “That’s my little guy.” She said, “For such a small head you sure have a big brain.”

He appreciated her using her pinky so as not to harm him and pet her finger back affectionately “It is utterly dwarfed by the size of your heart, my love.”

“Aww, you charmer.” She blushed as she pulled her hand away and used the edges of the chaise to hoist herself off the ground and sit upon it. Once she was seated, she gently scooped the tiny man up and gave him another wet kiss with her giant and plush lips. “But also literally speaking you’re correct, my heart is like several times your size so...ya know.”

“Thanks Del.” He said, “You always know how to de-stress me.”

"Speaking of,” Delara purred “how about a little de-stress cuddling?” Her face turned mischievous, and she rubbed her stomach slowly and sensually. “Jas isn’t fully done in there you know...we’ve got a few more moments before she moves deeper along.”

The giantess reached down and lifted her shirt up to her chest revealing the fair and pale skin of her tummy. A soft gurgle was all that signified what was going on within. Delara asked lustily “Wanna listen?”

“Yes,” Answered Marcus quickly “absolutely yes.”

Delara giggled as she laid back on the chaise, shirt still pulled up. She shifted some pillows behind her head to get comfortable and then once she was laying down dropped Marcus unceremoniously onto her stomach. It wasn’t a far drop, and his landing was cushioned by the noticeable layer of pudge atop her tight and strong abdominal muscles. Her abdomen rose and fell with her breath like waves on a lake, calm but present. Marcus was in paradise.

Delara removed her glasses and watched her micro lover steady himself on her belly. It always tickled her how much her body awed him, like she was an entirely new world to him. He treated her like she was a wonderland. Like she was a goddess. That and his feet; those tickled too as he scampered up and across her midsection.

Marcus was doing just that, moving up towards her chest. Eventually Delara’s bust blocked her face from view as he trekked northward. She chuckled, scooting herself up slightly on the pillows to be able to see him better. The sudden motion made Marcus stumble, and he fell forward and flat onto her body just below the left side of her ribs.

*GRRRUUUUULLLLLL* came the sound from below his lover's skin, a terrible reverberation rocking him through to his core. Subtle sloshing and bubbling underpinned the magnificent roar of her stomach at work. The cacophony of sound was like an orchestra to Marcus’s ears. He pushed his tiny self into her body harder, as if willing himself inside. The churning and gurgling gave no hint of the contents within, a secret shared only by Marcus, Delara, and of course, Jasmine.

Marcus floated atop this symphony of sound and motion in bliss, radiating in the heat of Delara’s body for a while. He glanced up to see her eyelids fluttering; his partner was ready to settle in for a digestive nap. He glanced down at her stomach, giving a silent last thank you to Jasmine before kissing the skin.

“I love you Del.”

“Mmm, love you too Marc.” she mumbled in reply, beginning to doze off. “Thanks for Jas, she was great. And thank you for telling me about Kurtis and Roxanne.”

“Of course, my love.” He said “No secrets between us. I hope I set your mind at ease about it. I know you did mine. The plan is still in motion.”

Delara sleepily murmured “Hmmm...She’s not the type to do anything crazy, is she?

“I doubt it. She was very drunk when she ate Kurt. Likely a one-off mistake on her part.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He said “She’s not like us. Not like you. You’ll see. We still have the plan.” He snuggled his face into his giant lover as they began to drift. “Besides, she’s just some bartender. Trust me my love, Kurt was the last person she’ll ever eat.”