Minis were a ‘growing’ minority in the country ever since shrinking became commonplace. Stores that sold Mini furniture and clothes had begun to pop up in strip malls and outlets.  To help provide to those who opted to become small in an effort to curb the overpopulation and overconsumption problem that was apparently going on according to the news, these stores were well equipped and well-funded by the government.  Minis who needed things their size or things that would help them in a regular sized world could find what they needed at these stores.

However, Minis weren’t often seen outside in public. People who opted to become small had to be with a trusted normal sized person like a guardian to protect them. Quarter scaled Minis like him for example were the size of if not smaller than a toddler after all. It was dangerous for someone a foot and a half tall to be wandering around alone much less in crowded city-streets.

That was why he was being cradled between Chloe’s arms when they left her car to head inside.

“I can walk, y’know,” Zack remarked. Despite his red cheeks and ears, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. He was being pressed against Chloe’s warm bosom which fit snugly in her blue striped ¾ sleeve shirt. It was a blissful feeling to be nestled against her boobs that were now massive to his baby-like size.

“I know you can, but you were pretty slow getting into the car earlier and it’s cold out. This is faster,” Chloe gave him her reasons for carrying him inside.

“You’re cold? I keep telling you to wear thicker clothes. Why did you change back into shorts?”

“Because it’s summer!”

“It’s windy!”

The debate between the two of them ended when they finally reached the entrance and walked through the sliding doors. It was there inside the Mini-Porium that Chloe put him down. The two of them scanned across the large super-store and saw a variety of aisles and goods all made for Minis. From clothes to dishware to furniture, the store was packed with supplies. The couple could see aisle after aisle separated not by what they sold but what scale they are at. From half-sized and quarter-sized to even one-tenth sized and even one-hundredth sized, the store catered to all Minis.

“Whoa. Where do we start?” asked Chloe.

“I guess the place for my scale’s our destination, but anywhere’s fine with me,” Zack answered, happy to have his feet on the ground. He stretched his legs and then his neck before looking up at Chloe’s. His wife being the height of a telephone pole to him was something his neck was going to have to get used to. “Let’s just go around and if we see something we think I might need, let’s grab it.”

“Good idea,” Chloe nodded and moved to grab a push cart. When she did, she saw the child seat and turned back to him. He already knew what she was going to ask. “Hey, do yo-”

“Nope,” he answered and began to march forward before she could finish. He wanted to walk, and that was what he was going to do. Even if Chloe immediately closed the distance in a few steps, he didn’t want to be babied that much….

… there were still some things he couldn’t fight, however.

“This one’s cheaper, but it’s hideously pink. I don’t think either of us are into that. And there’s this one over here that’s got a bunch of bells and whistles, but the cost is a bit crazy… Which one should we get, Zack?”

A car seat was the first thing they realized they had to buy. Though Chloe had driven him in a car, this had been advised by the employees at the government office. If they wanted to comply with the driving laws, he would have to be in a car seat at all times. 

“Whichever one is less embarrassing, honestly,” he frowned, scratching the back of his head. “What’s the difference between all these seats anyways? We can’t ask my sister for one?”

“Julia only has a booster seat, not a car seat. You’re not big enough to use Abigail’s old one,” Chloe shook her head at his suggestion. He couldn’t be in a booster seat because those were designed for young children, not baby sized men. Actually, the Mini-sized car seats were even stated to be too small for babies because he was smaller than a newborn.

“What’s the difference between the two?” Zack was actually unaware of what a car seat was compared to a booster seat.

“What? Um… Jeez, that’s a good question actually,” Chloe only had superficial knowledge from what she had heard from her sister-in-law so she couldn’t answer properly. “Who’d have thought I’d be buying a car seat for my husband before we even have a kid.”

Thankfully, their confusion caught the attention of one of the employees.

“Is your husband having trouble picking, ma’am?” a young woman who looked in her college years stepped in. She wasn’t the least bit careful about keeping her distance from the couple, which perturbed both of them, especially Chloe who had to back up because she snuck up on her. 

“We both are. We don’t really have kids yet, so I never thought we’d have to buy a car seat this soon,” Chloe confessed.

“Can you help us?” Zack asked.

“What scale is he?” The shrunken man frowned when the employee didn’t glance in his direction. She simply kept her attention on his wife. 

“Quarter-scaled,” thankfully for Zack, Chloe took offense for him and added a glare and a little sassy venom to her tongue as she spoke. “You can see for yourself can’t you?”

“A-Ah, yes. I do,” the girl realized she had been caught being rude and looked over at Zack with a nervous wave. He smirked, knowing Chloe could scare plenty of folks if she ever was serious. Her goth phase back in high school was a tale he heard about from her friends. It seemed she still had the attitude in her after all of these years. “Sorry, sir. Um… Let me see...”

In a hurry to change the subject, the employee shuffled through the various car seats. She pulled one out in particular and slammed it down in front of Zack. For a moment, the man was stunned. The three foot tall box was twice his height.

“Here. I recommend this one. A rear facing car seat. Newborn children are typically recommended this type, but this is designed for quarter-scaled Minis,” the employee said. “This brand has a few different versions as well. This one’s convertible into a carry on and the black one comes with a stroller…”

A carry-on or a stroller? He thought they were shopping for him and not a baby. Sadly, as humiliating as it was to picture himself being carried or pushed around in one, their uses were actually appealing to Chloe.

“That’d make things a lot easier.”

“Chloe, if it’s cheap, we’ll buy it, but I’d like to veto you ever using those options if you can help it,” he told his wife. “We only need a car seat, nothing else.”

“A lot of Mini customers say that, but we end up seeing them in one the next time they come in,” the employee giggled at Zack’s attempt to put his foot down. Then, pretending to whisper, she added. “Actually, there’s another one that comes with a built in computer… And it costs only just a little bit more...”

At that, Zack’s eyebrows rose. “You’re serious?”

His curiosity was piqued, earning a groan from his wife up above. He looked up to see her shaking her head. “You had to mention computers to him...”

Now that his own desires were brought to light, the decision was already made. He was a sucker for technology, and while he still didn’t like having to use the child-suited things they were buying, it at least made him more open to looking around and shopping at the store. Despite Chloe’s sigh over his sudden enthusiasm, she would admit later that it made picking and buying everything far quicker.