He’d felt this horrible sensation before.

Cold, rushing water swirling unstoppably all around him, Apollo thrashed and fought to find his way back to the surface. His limbs were tired and sore, but that couldn’t stop him now. He could imagine more than one disastrous outcome for this rapidly-worsening situation, and keeping himself afloat was his only hope to avoid them.

Even with his goal clear in mind, however, Apollo was struggling. He was so incredibly tiny that this wine glass had to be somewhere over a hundred feet deep at his scale, and it had begun to fill so quickly that he hadn’t even been able to properly react before he was submerged.

The fact that this definitely wasn’t water didn’t help, either – whatever drink Aura preferred, both its fruity scent and the sting of alcohol were already filling his lungs as he held his limited breath and fought to reach the surface again. Drowning in Aura’s glass wouldn’t do him or Athena any good.

His eyes stinging and his chest burning up already, he splashed upward in desperation, all other thoughts fading from his panicked mind.

Until seconds ago, Athena had been staying focused on her own efforts to avoid slipping any deeper into Aura’s ample cleavage, but now, her own safety was the last thing on her mind.

Apollo had been making his way up to some higher point to try and draw Aura’s notice. Athena’s sensitive hearing had easily been able to catch his shouts, but then Aura had moved quite suddenly, and the loudmouth attorney’s calls had suddenly turned to a terrified scream.

Wrenching her neck upward, Athena had spotted a tiny figure hurtling through the air and away from Aura’s position. Her blue eyes wide open in disbelief and alarm, all Athena had been able to do was watch as her friend hurtled through the air to crash, of all places, right into Aura’s tall wine glass.

She’d almost lost track of him behind the polished glass, but then Athena had seen the faint sign of a splash, marking Apollo’s arrival at the lowest point in the glass.

Aura had nearly emptied her drink with her previous sip, only a trace layer of whatever it was she was drinking left to catch Apollo, but it had only taken her a few seconds to dismiss her momentary distraction and move to pick up her bottle again.

Her hands clamped over her mouth in horror, Athena gave a muffled scream of Apollo’s name, watching the glass rapidly fill, its owner totally oblivious to the danger she was putting the puny attorney into.

Her shoulders drooping slightly with a mildly irritated sigh, Aura’s shaky hand tilted the bottle to once more refill her glass. By now, she’d completely given up any attempt to track how much she’d been drinking.

She was almost certain she’d heard a strange noise just a few seconds ago, but it had stopped the moment she reacted, and now she couldn’t hear anything. Her hazy mind rolled back over the last few seconds in an attempt to determine what the noise had been. The roboticist’s senses weren’t in the best shape at the moment, making this a considerably more challenging task than normal.

She flinched.

 “... Fuck.”

Momentarily occupied by her thoughts, Aura had neglected to tilt her hand back in time, and her glass had overfilled. Some of her drink splashed over the rim and onto the desk, and she hastily moved to set the bottle aside again, trying to move her book out of the line of fire. The overflow splashed a short distance across the desk’s surface, a bit still dripping from the glass’s rim.

She didn’t have a cloth or anything here, not that she was in the mood to clean up, anyway. Putting her book safely aside, Aura paused for a moment. There was one easy way to stop the glass dripping anymore, at least. She leaned forward over the desk, her prominent chest pressing against the edge a bit as she brought her lips toward the cup’s rim.

Athena yelped, scrambling in a panic. Aura was leaning forward, and the motion was creating a substantial shift in the cushy gorge between her breasts. Still too scared of sinking into the crushing depths just below her, Athena could only squirm frantically against the colossal tits at her sides, her comparatively puny body sliding gradually forward. She’d lost sight of Apollo now, her unfortunate friend still trapped in the depths of the wine glass the last she’d seen him. Of course she was still scared for him, but the latest developments to her own situation were again taking precedent in her mind.

Something strange was suddenly happening. Apollo had been running out of air, his frantic thrashing beneath the cold surface of Aura’s drink becoming increasingly desperate, but now he was feeling some sort of change in pressure all around him. The glass didn’t seem to have moved, but it felt like the liquid all around him was being drawn upward somehow. Still blind and panicked, he could feel a horrible, dull pain beginning to settle in over the back of his head.

Suddenly, he broke the surface. His first inhale sounded more like a small scream, the world coming back into blurred view.

He sucked in a startled gasp, his mildly stinging eyes wide open at the sight of a massive pair of lips hovering just in front of his position. He could see a single drop of Aura’s drink slipping from her pursed lips and dropping out of sight.

He was trying to process several things at once. It looked as if the glass had been overfilled a bit, judging by how close the surface was to the upper rim. Aura’s huge face was looming was so close now that he was certain she’d just placed her mouth to the cup’s edge to sip directly from it and lower the volume it contained a bit. That must have been the strange pressure change he’d felt just a few seconds ago, but if he was right...

 (I-I nearly ended up in her mouth just now...)

His arms and legs were moving on their own, cutting through the cold liquid to keep him afloat. His breaths were coming out in heavy gasps, the shock of what had just happened in the last half-minute still not fully registering.

He was still in Aura’s glass. She’d nearly drawn him right into her mouth once already, and staying here would only lead to eventually meeting that same unimaginably horrible fate anyway. He needed to get the hell out of her drink as quickly as he could, but what could he do to get that done...? Even when it was so very close to being filled completely, the glass was still too tall for him to climb free.

Shaking his head, Apollo splashed forward for a moment, thinking to approach the glass’s edge, where Aura’s lips had just been.

 “Hm...?”

He flinched in the chilling pool, the noise seeming incredibly loud up-close. Looking up, he realized that Aura hadn’t moved back from the glass yet. He couldn’t get a proper view of her face like this, but she seemed to be peering into the glass. Could she possibly...

-gulp-

Again, the noise was startlingly loud. Apollo changed directions, splashing backward.

Aura was definitely looking down at his general location. Everything else in his mind vanishing at once, Apollo raised a hand from the water and frantically waved it in the air, kicking his legs twice as hard to stay afloat. Strangely, he found that the motion made very little difference. Was he actually floating on his own without even needing to try? Could he have been so very small that he didn’t even need to tread water?

High above, a pair of steely-grey eyes were fixed on his position. His heart was still thundering in his chest as Apollo slowed his movements to a stop, staring back.

He really was floating on his own. At last, he gave his exhausted limbs a break.

Aura was squinting now. Up close like this, the signs of her inebriation were obvious, but she still appeared to be trying to focus on him.

 “... The hell...?”

Aura’s warm breath gusted over him, tinged with the same heavy mix of fruit and alcohol that already surrounded him. He was feeling dizzy from the overpowering fumes swirling all around him.

Something huge appeared from above him, and he yelped in alarm. Two huge masses closed over his sides, pinning his puny body into a powerful grip that instantly immobilized all of his limbs at once. Now terrified that he would simply be crushed, Apollo squirmed as he felt himself being lifted into the air, his body dripping wet. It felt as if he’d become trapped between two massive, shifting boulders. Aura wasn’t being quite as gentle as was called-for, given his tiny size.

His motion continued for a short moment before Aura’s hand stopped. He couldn’t see what she was doing, just uncomfortably squirming to the best of his limited ability against her gigantic fingertips. He was breathing heavily, but unfortunately, there really wasn’t any room for his chest to expand. Just one misplaced twitch, and Aura could crush the life out of him. He waited, unable to move. All he wanted to do was raise his trapped arms, so he could at least place his palms flat against Aura's fingertip, but even that motion was impossible, the way he was pinned.

 “Hm.”

The little noise was followed by a sudden drop. Aura’s fingers released him, and Apollo yelped as he fell to the ground. While the impact dazed him, coming sooner than he'd expected, it was fairly soft. Was this still Aura’s body? He scrambled to get up, settling for a sitting position when his aching limbs protested sufficiently.

 “Oh…”

His breath froze up in his throat. He’d been dropped into Aura’s other hand, now sitting on his backside in her wide-open palm. The roboticist’s face hovered before him again, looking quite strange in its expanded size.

Aura’s grey eyes, still a bit unfocused, were continuing to squint at him. Her mouth was out of view, fortunately, sparing him the choking effect of her exhales.

He didn’t know what to do. Aura had found him, and was looking him over up-close, but as his heart thudded in his soaked chest, he couldn’t think to do anything other than wait. Did she really recognize him at last…?

 “… ‘Pollo…?”

He blinked. Aura sounded pretty out-of-it, but she’d clearly just said his name. Or most of it, at least.

 “Apollo…?” Aura repeated, her low voice sounding rather toneless. “Wh’ the hell're you doing here…?”

Apollo shook his head. This was no time to be sitting here, dripping wet and silent. Aura had actually identified him!

 “An’ why th’ fuck’re you so small…?”

He almost laughed, a wave of ecstatic relief crashing over him. Against all odds, in an even worse situation than the first time he’d shrunk, he had successfully gotten Aura to notice and identify him. This was it – he and Athena were saved!

He flinched.

 (A-Athena…! I totally forgot about her!!)

He raised a hand, trying to gesture for Aura to be quiet for a moment. Her mildly-slurred, confused words were understandable, but he needed to address a more pressing concern right now.

 “A-Aura, listen to me – there was an accident, back in your lab.” he said, looking up at just one of Aura’s huge eyes. Even they alone were substantially bigger than his whole body. Several times bigger, in fact. “Athena and I… w-well, I’ll explain it later, but we both shrunk!”

That had to be pretty obvious, even to someone as intoxicated as Aura currently was, right? The titanic roboticist blinked at him.

 “Can barely hear you…”

Apollo hesitated.

 “R-right…” He cleared his throat, trying again. Repeating what he’d just said in a much louder voice, he waited again for Aura’s response. Was Athena still alright down there…? This conversation was going much too slowly…

 “So, why’re you in my room?” Aura prompted him after a pause. “Wasn’me that made you shrink…”

He groaned. “I know, Aura, just… Like I said, I’ll explain it soon, but right now, Athena’s in serious trouble!”

One of Aura’s eyebrows raised slightly.

 “She’s here, too…?” she inquired, suddenly sounding a bit irritated. “Brat was s’posed to leave earlier…”

Partly clenching his fingers at his sides, Apollo gave another frustrated groan. Aura wasn’t ever the most approachable person, but it was definitely a lot easier to get her to listen when she was sober, at least.

 “Aura.” he said, his voice feeling a little strained from maintaining such a high volume after all the panicked breathing he’d been doing recently. “Athena and I have been trying to get help from you ever since you came back in here.” He watched Aura’s grey eyes for any sign of confusion. She seemed to be following. “We were making our way up here, but Athena slipped and… w-well, she fell into your top.”

A particularly uncomfortable pause followed his words. Aura blinked two more times.

 “She’s… she’s stuck down there now.” Apollo added. The anxiety that Athena’s situation was already causing him to experience was only being multiplied by how slowly this conversation was advancing. “Can you help her…?”

Another blink. He didn’t want to piss Aura off by getting impatient with her, but this was taking much too long.

 “… Sayin’ she’s in my tits.”

This time, Apollo was the one to pause for a moment, blinking. He was fairly sure that his cheeks were a bit red.

 “… Yeah.” he said, his loud voice faltering a little. “She’s, um… c-could you just help her get out of there, please…?”

Aura’s hand suddenly moved away from her face a bit, and Apollo wobbled, almost losing his balance. The colossal roboticist was looking downward now.

 “Don’ see her.”

Apollo released a long breath through his nose. Aura had needed to squint just to identify him an inch away from her nose. Of course she couldn’t spot Athena down her top instantly…

 “Aura!!” he called out. Why did she have to pick tonight of all evenings to get wasted…? “Look, Athena’s not safe in there, so just take a second and-…”

Aura’s violet hair had drooped down from her forehead a bit, obscuring her downward-angled face from his view, so he couldn’t tell where she was looking.

 “Don’ think she’s in there, Apollo.”

His shoulders slumped, and he ran a hand through his drenched hair. His signature spikes were drooping awkwardly, the gel he applied every morning heavily washed out by his recent swim.

 “Aura, I saw her slip just a few minutes ago, and there’s no way she’s gonna be safe in there! We’re way too small to-“

He trailed off, suddenly hearing a low noise from Aura. Was she… laughing…?

It wasn’t loud, but the low, rumbling sound of a mildly drunken giggle was fairly easy to identify at Aura’s current volume.

 “Told you I don’t see her, Apollo.” she said, her shoulders visibly twitching a bit. “You know my boobs’re pretty huge. Always used t’see you staring. If the princess is as little as you, she prob’ly got lost in there…!”

This was getting them absolutely nowhere. Aura was clearly a few too many drinks in to recognize the urgency of this situation, but what the hell else could he do right now to get the point across?

Athena was only feeling mildly better than a few minutes ago, now that she was frantically wriggling around just to keep Aura’s looming face in view. Staying afloat in the vast gorge of the infinitely larger woman’s cleavage had already been proving just as much of a physical challenge as the rest of this whole misadventure had been up to this point, and now she was fighting just to make herself visible to Aura’s unfocused gaze at all. Just how tiny was she, compared to Aura’s breasts…?

She spotted one of Aura’s arms moving. The other raised to her face, having rescued Apollo from her drinking glass. That had, of course, been an immense relief for Athena, but Apollo’s hazardous situation hadn’t been their only problem. Now, Aura’s other hand appeared, seeming to approach her general vicinity. She thought for a moment that Aura might have spotted her, but instead, the huge hand simply came to rest against the side of Aura’s left breast. What the hell was she doing…?

The answer became apparent just seconds later.

 “A-AURA, NO!!”

Athena’s blue eyes shot open wide, and her mouth fell open in terror as the huge hand she’d only just been able to see from within the fleshy canyon of Aura’s cleavage suddenly began to press against her breast from the side. To Athena’s left, the impossibly huge mountain of flesh that was Aura’s tit began to shift, pressing against its twin. Rolling over her like a tidal wave, Aura’s breast closed in on Athena’s puny body and sealed her into complete darkness, the world around her disappearing entirely. She tried to scream, her voice muffled into silence. Aura was going to carelessly crush her between her tits, and there was nothing she could do about it…

Back in Aura’s palm, Apollo had lost all composure and rushed toward the edge of his host’s gigantic hand, yelling at full volume for himself.

 “AURA, STOP, GODDAMN IT…!!”

To his immense relief, Aura’s other arm relaxed, and she looked back up at him, a slightly lopsided smirk on her face.

Both of his hands clutching at his head in blind panic, Apollo looked downward at the frightening drop back to Aura’s top below him. There was a terrifyingly real chance that Aura had just drunkenly crushed Athena between her breasts, and he couldn’t hope to tell from here if his friend was even still alive.

Another damn giggle, and Aura spoke up again. “Why don’t y’look for her yourself then, Apollo…?”

He barely even registered her words. All he could think of was Athena, her terrified face flashing through his mind as he imagined her suffering a horrible death from just the careless, teasing squeeze Aura had just been applying to her chest.

He fell onto his back when Aura started moving her hand again.

 “A-Aura…!?”

She was bringing him down, her huge face lifting further away by the second. Then, her hand tilted, and Apollo could only scramble for a grip for a split-second before he fell from her palm, dropping into a freefall. Aura’s canyon of cleavage filled his entire field of vision, expanding in all directions until he made a crash-landing.

 “Ack-…!!”

He’d come down against the smooth slope of one of Aura’s breasts, landing on his front. He once more scrambled desperately for a grip, but there was none to be found, and his puny body helplessly slipped right into the fleshy gorge in mere seconds.

When he stopped, he pushed off from Aura’s skin until his back collided with her other breast instead. So much for talking to her…

He needed to find Athena. She could have been hurt, or even dead. No matter what, she was the top priority, now that Aura had decided to toss him into here as well.

 “A-Athena!!”

Moving about in the roboticist’s cleavage was nearly impossible. Apollo struggled, wading forward against the seemingly endless mass of her breasts, the motion closer to swimming than anything else. It had taken a few seconds for him to really notice, but her body heat was creating a sweltering, oppressive atmosphere all around him, his tiny lungs filled with the powerful scent of her body and sweat. Even in his most shamelessly perverted moments, back in his teenage years, he would never have wanted this level of exposure to Aura’s tits. They just never seemed to end…

 “ATHENA!!”

Where was she? He tried to think back, guessing at the relative closeness of the spot where he’d watched her fall.

Aura was probably watching him with amusement. Her breasts were shuddering slightly with her continuing giggles, the motion translating to something like a mild earthquake for the puny attorney trapped between them.

Something red flashed in his vision, and he almost choked on a breath.

 “A-ATHENA, HOLD ON!!”

He had spotted her. Athena was just a short distance away, Aura’s endless breasts still threatening to consume her entirely. Struggling with renewed vigour, Apollo fought his way forward until he could see his ailing friend properly. Athena had clearly been put into even worse danger by Aura’s teasing just a minute ago. All Apollo could see of her was her head, ponytail included, and one struggling arm.

 “A-Apollo, help me…!!”

Adrenaline pushing him forward, Apollo at last reached Athena’s position. Keeping one shoulder braced against Aura’s mountainous tit, he reached a shaking hand toward Athena’s raised one. She immediately took an iron grip on his hand that he thought might be at risk of crushing his fingers entirely, but it was just something he would have to tolerate. Biting down the pain, he pulled backward with all of his available strength.

Both he and Athena were fighting as hard as possible, Athena’s trapped body proving quite difficult to free. Sweat was running down his forehead and making his eyes sting, but Apollo wasn’t about to stop. He was losing feeling in his fingers, Athena’s crushing grip still holding on just as tightly as before.

His stomach lurched as something suddenly collided with him from below. Athena made a startled noise, and the pair were suddenly flipped into the air, crashing down together a short distance back. They were still stranded in Aura’s cleavage, but it appeared that Aura herself had tucked a single fingertip into the gorge between her breasts to push them both free.

 “S-sorry…!”

Athena had landed right on top of him, and pushed back to try and get clear.

A drunken giggle sounded from above.

 “Like you two’re drowning in there…” Aura laughed, her voice booming around them.

 “She’s liking this way too much…” Athena groaned. “Why can’t she react like a normal person…?”

 “This is her when she’s drunk. I’m honestly not sure what she would’ve done if she’d been sober.” Apollo remarked, shaking his head.

 “Like a couple of stupid little bugs… Maybe I should jus’ leave you in there…?”

 “What…!?”

 “Aura!!” Athena yelled, indignant. “Get us the hell out of here already!!”

 “She’s not gonna hear you.” Apollo said anxiously. His head was in near-constant motion, watching the shuddering walls at their sides in case Aura suddenly caused her breasts to move again.

 “I don’t care!” Athena snapped. “We’ve been through all kinds of awful stuff just trying to make her see us in the first place, and I’m so sick of her stupid, huge boobs, so she needs to pick us back up and help us out already!”

 “You two wanna try living on my tits for a while? I’ll be gentle… Or maybe jus’ use you for padding down there, if y’piss me off…”

Apollo was blushing like crazy again, this time torn between intense embarrassment and anger at Aura’s mocking response to the life-threatening danger they’d been through. Assuming that they still lived long enough for her to restore their proper size, this entire ordeal was going to shave at least a few years off of his life, he was certain.

Fortunately, Aura finally ceased her drunken ramblings, her grey eyes still focused on them to the apparent best of her ability as she continued to observe their awkward situation.

 “Apollo,” Athena said, her tone making it instantly clear she’d reached the end of her patience, “If she seriously tries to make us stay in here, I’m gonna scream.”

 “She won’t.” Apollo responded.

 (… I hope.)

 “… So, no? Kinda thought you’d like it, Apollo.”

Aura almost looked disappointed. The entire area surrounding her two tiny guests shuddered ominously as she gave a sigh.

 “What’m I s’posed to do?” she asked. “Not like I know how t’make you big again.”

Apollo would have felt relieved, but his current distance from Aura’s face meant that there was still no way he could effectively answer her. Her huge eyes blinked above, and she seemed to realize the problem.

 “Ah, shite… right, hold on a sec’…”

One of Aura’s hands came into view again. The pair watched as it drew closer to them, two fingertips pushing their way into the gorge between her breasts as they approached.

Apollo heard a startled yell from Athena, and then Aura’s fingers lifted away again. He flinched, no longer able to see his co-worker anywhere. Aura had singled her out this time.

 “J-just don’t make her mad, Athena…!!”

There was little he could do from here, aside from hope that Athena didn’t do anything to prompt Aura into making good on her playful threat from a minute ago.

Aura’s hand rose like a great elevator, bringing Athena all the way up toward one side of her head. Apollo waited, unable to hear Athena’s voice from such a distance.

 “… That was pretty stupid of you, princess.” Aura remarked after a short pause. “Guess that’s normal…”

Apollo sighed. Athena definitely wouldn’t be happy with the insult, but if she could just keep a relatively level head for now, they were still OK.

 “… Wait. Think I saw that on th’floor. Lucky I didn’t jus’ throw it out.”

She had to mean the Skye Device. It sounded like Athena was sticking to the most important facts about how they had come to be in this situation.

“… Fine. Lemme put somethin’ on…”

A spark of relief that Apollo barely even dared to believe flashed in his chest. Was Aura really going to take them back to the lab?

The hand that had lifted Athena away lowered a bit. Aura was glancing one way and then the other, seeming to think something over. Without any particular warning, her hand suddenly tipped, and Apollo spotted Athena tumbling right off of Aura’s palm, falling right back toward him with a scream that grew louder and louder until she made impact.

Athena struck the side of Aura’s right breast, her voice breaking off at the precise moment of impact. She bounced, weightlessly hurtling straight into a faceplant collision with Aura’s other tit before she slid back down to Apollo’s level. He carefully moved forward to reach her, arriving just in time to see Athena push herself shakily off from Aura’s skin. She looked almost too aggravated for words, just muttering what Apollo fairly confidently believed to be a string of foreign curse words under her breath. If she’d still been wearing Widget, Apollo could only imagine that the little device would have been flashing an angry red.

Aura got to her feet, almost wobbling when she settled her weight on both feet. Those two had picked a pretty annoying time to show up here, in her room. Apollo had been swimming around in her drink, too. If she hadn’t been so observant, she might have swallowed him without even noticing.

 (He’s supposed to be the smart one…)

She didn’t want to go to the trouble of getting her tights back on. Shuffling across her quarters to reach her bedroom, Aura began a brief search for some pants. A pair she’d worn recently was hanging from the edge of her laundry hamper, and she made to put them on. Paying no heed to the panicked scrambling that her two guests were being forced into by her movements, she adjusted her pants to comfort, her hazy mind reflecting on this strange development.

Had Aura not been quite so heavily intoxicated, she would have been considerably more shocked to find the pair of lawyers reduced to the size of ants, one of them squirming around in her cleavage. Instead, however, with her sharp mind dulled by the sheer volume of alcohol she’d consumed, she barely gave the idea any thought. These two pests were going to continue bothering her for help if she didn’t find the stupid little toy that Athena had used to shrink herself and Apollo, so the best thing for her to do right now would be to simply follow the little brat’s directions and fix things. She could enjoy the last of her late evening in peace afterward.

Now dressed at least enough not to draw too much attention back out in the hall, Aura headed for the front door to her quarters again. A low giggle escaped her lips.

 “Y’two tickle a little…” she mumbled, briefly glancing down at the pair between her breasts while she waited for the doors to open for her.

 “Ugh… I’m so gonna be sick…”

 “At least she’s taking us there. I was afraid she was seriously just going to keep drinking.”

 “Why does she think she has to carry us around in here, anyway? She’s got hands!”

Neither of the two lawyers could see much of their surroundings, but it at least appeared that Aura had acquiesced to Athena’s demand that she bring them back to the robotics lab and reverse their shrinking. So long as nothing went wrong from here, their long and hazardous journey appeared to be reaching an end.

The mountainous masses of her sweaty breasts were just shifting at their sides now, jostling them back and forth with every step she took. It was hard for Apollo to disagree with Athena’s complaints about all the unrelenting motion. Their colossal host's body heat wasn't letting up either, the space around them feeling like a low-rent sauna.

No one but the cleaning robots usually moved around in the Space Centre this late at night. The facility was closed to visitors by this time, and so Aura was unlikely to run into anyone else during the trip to her lab. Once she stepped into the elevator, things relaxed for half a minute or so.

The robotics lab was on the fourth floor, while the staff living quarters were on the fifth. Apollo wondered whether Aura might address them again during the momentary elevator trip, but she stayed silent.

It would definitely be for the best if no one else happened to be in the area. Aura probably didn’t have a history of wandering around in the facility while half-dressed and intoxicated, and any awkward encounters would be best avoided.

To the considerable relief of the two attorneys, Aura at last entered the robotics lab without issue.

 “Where’d I put th’stupid thing…”

It was rather surreal to consider just how little distance their journey had actually covered, considering how chaotic the last few hours had felt for the pair.

After a few more seconds of dizzying movement, Aura stopped. She peered downward, a bit of her violet hair drooping into her face.

 “Y’two still in there…?”

 “And ready to leave!!” Athena snapped, shakily pushing herself into an upright position.

Aura gave another low giggle. “Kinda like you more like this, princess. Not so fuckin’ loud…”

Athena made an indignant noise, but Apollo just sighed.

 “You can think of a comeback later, Athena.” he urged her. “Just let her fix this.”

 “I know…”

Two minutes later, the pair found themselves on the smooth floor of the robotics lab, Aura’s utterly colossal figure looming over them once more, seeming taller than any nearby skyscraper. Aura had at last liberated them from the sweltering environment of her tank top, letting Athena briefly explain the operation of the Skye Device, and once the roboticist had heard enough, they had been set on the floor at her feet.

He couldn't look at Aura's bare feet resting a short distance ahead of his position without thinking back to the terrifying and humiliating experience of being trapped beneath her toes. Anxiously waiting for Aura to activate the reversal process, Apollo took a moment to check himself and Athena over.

Both of their outfits were drenched. Athena was coated in sweat from both herself and Aura, while he had the same combined with a residual layer of the fruity drink the roboticist had been enjoying. They probably had at least a few bruises, as well. A change of clothes and a long shower sounded like exactly the thing he needed right now.

 (Well, that, and the promise that Ema’s crazy shrink ray never comes near me again…)

 “So, jus’ aim, and…”

It was an indescribable relief to see and hear the familiar signs of the Skye Device’s activation. The same sensation he’d come to dread spread all across Apollo’s body, accompanied by the usual sound humming in his ears, and within a couple of seconds…

 “Grazie Dio…”

They were back to normal. Apollo let out a heavy breath of relief, finding himself standing in front of Aura, now only her normal amount of height taller than him.

He lurched at the feeling of Athena tackling him in a hug from his left side. The impact nearly knocked him over.

 “Y-yeah, glad we made it, too…” After the harrowing experience of the last three hours, it was almost hard to believe that he was seeing the world at its normal scale again. His shoes felt glued to the floor. “Uh… thanks a lot, Aura.” he said, feeling somewhat awkward in doing so. Athena muttered something less grateful very softly, her face hidden from view against the side of his neck at the moment.

Aura had a small, familiar smirk on her face. She shifted her weight to one side, making clear, if unfocused eye contact.

 “Yeah, yeah.” she slurred, the Skye Device powering down in her hand. “You owe me, big time. Wouldn’ go t’this much trouble for jus’ anyone, y’know.”

Athena made a noise that clearly indicated she wanted to argue. To Apollo’s surprise and mild alarm, Aura seemed to hear her this time.

 “Hm? Wanna speak up a little, princess? Didn’ sound very grateful jus’ now.”

Athena shifted back, away from Apollo. He glanced in her direction, hoping that she could keep a lid on any more direct complaints. Sure, he could agree that Aura could certainly have taken their situation a bit more seriously, but between her present state of intoxication and the fact that she had successfully restored their size…

 “No, no – it’s great, Aura! Thanks so much for helping us out!”

Apollo nearly bit his tongue hiding the snort of laughter that had just threatened to escape him. He had plenty of experience hearing Athena’s occasional displays of fake enthusiasm, but this one in particular had been especially transparent, even by her standards.

Aura paused for a moment. “I shoulda jus’ left you all tiny, brat.” she said, a sly edge in her voice. “Wouldn’ be acting so lippy if y’were still squirming around on my tits.”

Apollo frowned, biting down another verbal response.

 “Athena, can we just go, please?” he asked quietly. “Antagonizing her while she’s still holding that thing doesn’t seem like the best idea to you, does it?”

Aura laughed. “Aw, you’re all scared, Apollo? Ask real nicely, an’ maybe I’ll jus’ shrink you again. Bet we could find some stuff t’do with you the size of a little bug.”

To his slight concern, Aura stepped toward him. He held his breath, eyes widening a bit, but Aura just raised a hand and pressed the Skye Device against his chest, letting him take it back. He shakily grabbed it, and Aura stepped back again.

 “Alright, get th’fuck out of my lab.”

 “U-uh…”

 “Sounds good to me.” Athena said, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go, Apollo!”

It wasn’t a suggestion. Athena’s strong pull against his shoulder got him moving in a hurry, headed for the lab’s doors.

 “Uh, see you later, Aura!” he said over his shoulder. The roboticist laughed again.

 “Sure. I’m gonna finish that drink y’were splashing around in.”

A few minutes’ walking found the two lawyers at the Space Centre entrance, back on the ground floor.

 “I’m glad that security didn’t ask what we’re doing here so late.” Apollo remarked. It was dark outside by now. Nearly on cue, his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. He checked it over, and found a series of no fewer than eleven texts from Trucy, along with two missed calls, all arriving simultaneously now that his phone was at a size appropriate to receive signals again.

 “Lemme guess – Trucy?” Athena inquired. She was fastening Widget back into place at her neck, having finally retrieved the talkative device from inside her shirt. “She’s probably worried sick about us.”

 “Yeah.” Apollo replied, nodding. “I hope she went to the movie, at least. Can’t wait to tell her how much trouble you decided to get us into.”

Athena frowned. “C’mon, we both know it was a freak accident!” she said, a slight pout on her face.

Rolling his eyes, Apollo said, “Totally avoidable accident, if you hadn’t decided to stuff Ema’s device into your bag like that. I’m through with nearly getting killed because of that thing.”

 “But…”

 “No. Never bring that friggin’ thing within ten feet of me again.” he said. “You saw how drunk Aura was, back there. We’re lucky she didn’t just decide to play with us instead of listening to what we needed.”

Athena sighed. “I guess you’re right. Just don’t tell Ema, OK? Trucy and I really wanted to keep experimenting, but if Ema finds out about tonight, she’ll probably lock this thing up forever.”

 “And that’d be a bad thing?”

 “It totally would! This is the most amazing invention ever, Apollo!”

 “Sure, but if your idea of a good use for it is to nearly get us both killed, count me out. I, for one, would like to avoid having to spend an evening getting that personal with anyone’s body again.”

Athena chuckled, cracking a grin. “Aw, really? I think it’d be pretty fun to carry you around with me for a day. Plenty of places you could hide, and you wouldn’t have to be that crazy small.”

 “… This conversation’s over, Athena. I’ll see you later.”