~

Still holding Brian, Allison got off her bed and walked over to her closet. She quietly opened it and looked to the very back. There, with a considerable layer of dust, was a perfectly ordinary briefcase. It was brown and leather, the kind of briefcase that a future lawyer might be gifted for their graduation. It looked that way because that’s exactly what it was. 

Long before Allison had ever been called into the fateful meeting where she was offered a very peculiar job, she was but a simple political science major with aspirations of a career in law. On the day of her graduation, one of her professors had gifted her that briefcase. This professor was not only her mentor, but one of her closest friends. Allison took the advice she gave with the greatest consideration, unless it was advice about love. It was love that caused Allison’s path to diverge from what she and her professor had planned out, in fact. Regardless, this professor always held out hope that Allison would someday return to her original path, and proceed towards being the brilliant attorney she knew Allison could be.

With this in mind, just as the divergence was taking fruition, Allison was gifted a briefcase and a note. The briefcase served as a visual reminder of what she was walking away from, and the note served as a written invitation to come back. For the first time in six months, ever since she had walked out of that fateful meeting, Allison was inspired to open the briefcase again, and read the note. Doing so, still refusing to let go of her shrunken companion, she felt an indescribable mix of emotions begin to wash over her.

My Dearest Allie,

Congratulations on graduating! I am, so, so, SO proud of you! You worked so hard and did so well, and I was fortunate enough to see it happen every step of the way. It was one of the greatest pleasures of my life to be your advisor and mentor, and I can only hope that we will stay friends for a long, long time.

Now, you might have noticed that this letter is resting atop an ugly brown briefcase. I’m sure you’re overjoyed to learn that this ugly brown briefcase is now yours! Normally, a briefcase is a traditional gift for when one graduates from law school, not undergrad, but I simply couldn’t wait. Call it a prediction for the future! I know that you’ve been re-thinking what you want your future to look like, as is your privilege as a promising young woman, but I know that you would do amazingly well in law school. I hope this briefcase will serve as a reminder of the promise I see in you, no matter what you choose to do in life.

I don’t want to drag down your congratulations letter with one of our many discussions regarding the “L” word, but allow me to say this. You deserve someone amazing. You deserve someone who believes in you just as much as you believe in him, and supports you in your dreams rather than drives you away from them. You deserve someone who makes you laugh, not makes you cry. Most importantly, you deserve somebody who you can watch movies with! That’s the key to any successful relationship.

So, if you truly believe that you have found someone like that, then I will happily support whatever form your future takes. However, if you ever feel like you are with someone not like that, and that person is keeping you away from your dreams, I hope you FUCKING LEAVE HIS SORRY ASS! Sorry, my pen slipped. Anyway, if you ever find yourself in such a situation, please reach out to me. I will always be here for you, and it’s never too late to continue down the path we had planned.

Just remember- plant your feet, stand against the current, and decide how things truly are. Always believe in your own conviction.

With all my love,

Elizabeth Dawson.

A tear fell from Allison’s face, staining the letter. At that moment, though, the one-inch man in her hand began to stir. She quickly put the letter aside and wiped her face with her free hand. She needed to be ready and focused for the conversation she was about to have. She moved away from the closet, and once again sat down in the space between the bed and her nightstand.

~

…

…

“I believe you.”

Brian opened his eyes. He was instantly comforted by an all-encompassing sensation of softness and warmth, and his confusion was quickly soothed. He soon realized where he was, and what had happened prior to him falling asleep. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, resigning himself to the conversation he was about to have. He opened his eyes and sat upwards. His whole body was afflicted with a nearly unbearable sense of exhaustion, but he somehow managed to push through it. He looked into the worried brown eyes of the one person on earth who truly believed in him- Allison Starr. He decided to skip any pretense and speak first.

“Um…” he started, before clearing his throat and swallowing a few times. He found that his voice was nearly gone, having been abused by his recent breakdown.

“When you said what you said during the session,” he began, his voice tired and raspy, “it brought back some bad memories from right after Timmy Osment died. I couldn’t stop myself from remembering, and it hit me all at once. I scared you, and I’m sorry. But… thank you… thank you for coming back.”

“I thought it was probably something like that,” Allison replied, her own voice battling traces of exhaustion. “Why did you tell me you were fine? Why weren’t you just honest with me?”

Brian hung his head.

“I was scared you would blame yourself,” he said quietly.

“I definitely blame myself, but that doesn’t mean it was okay to hide that kind of pain from me,” she replied sadly. “I thought you were going to stop being so afraid to tell me what you think.”

“I know,” Brian said, “but it’s hard to ask for that kind of help after being alone for so long. It feels like… it feels like… I don’t know what it feels like.”

It feels like he’s opening himself up to be attacked, Allison thought.

“It’s okay, Brian,” Allison said comfortingly. “I understand. It’s just… you helped me when I broke down after I came back from the facility. I want to be able to help you, too. If you ever start remembering again, or it all comes back at once, please tell me right away. I don’t want you to ever be that upset again. Not if I can help it.”

Brian gave a small smile.

“Okay,” he said quietly. Nothing else needed to be said. Allison curled her fingers around him protectively, and gently hugged him to her chest. She could feel him lean slightly into her skin in response.

“Do you… do you want to talk about what happened any more?” she asked hesitantly after drawing her hands back. Brian shook his head.

“Not today,” he replied.

“Does that mean you will another day?” she said.

“…Sure,” he answered after a brief silence. Allison gave a small smile in response.

“I think that’s a good call. Today has been one of the most eventful and stressful days of my life,” Allison said exasperatedly. “I’m ready for it to be over.”

“Me too,” Brian admitted. “Unfortunately, though, it’s not.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“We need to figure out what to do about Cathy,” he answered.

“Shit,” Allison said, “you’re right. We also need to decide what to do about work tomorrow. Safe to say I probably can’t handle another session.”

They both sighed heavily.

“Dinner first,” they both declared simultaneously. At that, they gave each other a small grin. 

~

After dinner, Brian and Allison were resting on the sofa. She had made sure to clear away any traces of the mini-session that had just occurred. Brian was snugly perched in her hand, using her upturned fingers as a back rest. 

Allison had been holding him nonstop ever since he woke up, incidentally, only reluctantly letting him down so he could eat dinner. 

“You don’t have to keep holding me, you know,” he had said at one point.

“Do you like it?” she asked in response. Brian paused, before averting eye contact and slightly blushing.

“Yeah,” he replied hesitantly.

“Then I’m never letting you go again unless I absolutely have to,” she declared. That was that.

“I have a question,” Allison said after they had been silently sitting for a few minutes.

“What is it?” Brian asked.

“How did you come up with that story that you told Cathy? About me keeping you to torture you?” she replied.

“Ah. While you were at the facility today, I ran through some simulations of what would happen if somebody ever found me. That was one story I came up with in case another Chevalier ever discovered me,” he answered.

“Huh,” Allison said appreciatively. “How did you know Cathy was a Chevalier?”

“I matched the voice when she came here to the voice I heard when you smuggled me out,” he said plainly.

“You don’t say. Impressive,” Allison praised. Brian shrugged.

“Alright, now I have a question,” Brian said.

“What is it?” Allison asked.

“Do you want to keep being a Chevalier?” he asked. Allison was taken aback at his directness. After it wore off, however, she thought carefully for a moment.

“No, I don’t,” she admitted quietly. Saying it out loud brought forth a number of mixed emotions.

“Alright. So, what’s keeping you from quitting?” Brian asked. “I mean that literally. What are the issues preventing you from leaving? Let’s list them out.”

“Oh, I see…” Allison said softly, slightly nervous that the focus of the conversation was now on her.

“I’ll help. Issue one goes into our other main problem. Cathy now knows about me and expects to have another session with me. Quitting would be really suspicious. We can come back to that one later. What else is there?” Brian said.

“Um… well…” Allison started.

“Don’t worry, Allie,” Brian said reassuringly. “No matter how silly or nonsensical it seems, just tell me. We’ll figure it out together.”

Allison smiled in relief.

“I feel… I feel like I’m stuck,” she admitted. “It’s been six months. It’s hard to imagine going back to a ‘normal’ job after this. Also… also, I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

“Deserve what? A normal job?” Brian asked, trying to tease out the real issue.

“No… a normal life,” Allison replied, closing her eyes sadly.

“I see. Well, let me tell you one thing, Allie,” Brian said. Allison looked at him questioningly.

“You’re never gonna have a normal life. Not so long as I’m around. Normal is out of the question. Sorry not sorry. With that in mind, there’s no issue! Next problem?” he said plainly, breaking out in a small grin at the end. After a pause, Allison laughed out loud, accidentally jostling her tiny friend around in her palms.

“I guess you’re right,” she said with a giggle. “That really isn’t an issue.”

“I guess the next thing is… I’m scared that people would find out that I used to be a Chev. It’s a pretty controversial job, after all,” she continued.

“Hmm. Well, that shouldn’t be an issue so long as you don’t tell anybody, right? It’s virtually impossible to find out the identities of Chevaliers,” Brian asked.

“Yeah… I’m just paranoid,” Allison admitted, “I just worry too much about what other people would say. I’m scared of arguing with the entire world.”

“Allie, it doesn’t matter what everybody says. That’s the court of public opinion. Take it from me, the court of public opinion is fucking worthless,” Brian said, the anger in his voice palpable at the end. “The only one you need to argue with is yourself, and decide what you believe is right.”

Allison smiled thoughtfully.

“You know, my mentor said something like that to me once,” she said nostalgically.

“Your mentor sounds very smart,” Brian replied. “So, anyway, try not to worry about it. Nobody would find out, and even if they did you have no reason to care about what they think.“

“Yeah…“ Allison said, “I suppose it isn’t a big deal. It kind of goes into my last issue, though.”

“What is it?” Brian asked.

“Well… it’s my family. They cut me off because I took the job. I just… don’t know how I could ever approach them again. I don’t know if they’d even accept me,” she continued quietly.

“Look, Allie, I have very little sympathy for parents who choose to cut off their own kids. No idea where it comes from, but I just don’t,” Brian said with a sly grin. Allison returned it. 

“As far as I’m concerned, they should be the ones apologizing to you. With that being said, it’s entirely up to you if you want to reconnect with them. In regards to that, I’ll just say this: the longer you keep being a Chevalier, the harder it will be to reach out to them,” he continued.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Allison said.

“I’ll also tell you this,” Brian said. “Even if they don’t accept you, I will. You once said that you’d never abandon me. The same goes for me. You’ll always have at least one person on your side.”

Allison’s heart filled with warmth, and she smiled gratefully.

“T-Thank you, Brian. That means more than you know,” she said.

“So, is that it?” Brian asked. Allison nodded.

“Yeah… yeah, it is!” she said jovially. “After saying it out loud, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”

After running through all the issues and solutions, Allison felt an unfamiliar sense of excitement. It felt like she was finally seeing a way out of the dark cave she had been lost in for six months. However, there was still one enormous boulder blocking her escape.

After a moment of shared happiness, Allison’s face fell.

“Cathy,” Allison said sullenly. Brian nodded.

“Well, before you get too depressed, I actually do have an idea,” he said.

“Really?” Allison replied, her eyes lighting up.

“Yeah. Another thing I thought of during my simulations while you were at work,” he continued.

“Okay, what do you mean by simulations? Are you a computer?” she asked playfully.

“Put a sock in it!” Brian replied. “Do you want to hear my idea or not?”

Allison dropped her teasing attitude.

“Yes, please,” she replied quietly.

“Alright. This is the kind of thing that will only work once, so we need to absolutely make sure that she never finds me again,” he said firmly.

“Got it. What’s your plan?” Allison asked.

“It’s time for me to die again.”

~

Allison pulled into the parking lot of a supermarket two blocks away from the Silver Strip. Exiting her car, she began the long walk towards her place of employment. Her heart was pounding with an intensity rivaling the first time she ever approached the criminal death chamber known as the Silver Strip. She was gripping two things in either hand. The first thing was a folded piece of paper. The second thing was her phone. Each one had an important role to play in the upcoming event, and Allison knew that nothing would ever be the same by the time she walked back out.

Soon, she approached the device used by Chevaliers to clock in. She stared at it for a moment, before walking right by it.

Time to see Cathy, Allison thought. She briefly wondered if she would have to search through the various waiting rooms, but a feeling in her gut told her to instead enter the long hallway that housed all of the SPARs. She did so, and found herself once again in the long, metal hallway from which the Silver Strip got its name. Seeing as how there was no scheduled SPAR session, the hallway was nearly empty. There was a cold reverberance hanging in the air, the kind that could only be created by pure metal.

In front of the SPAR next to Allison’s, as she suspected, was a gorgeous woman. Her long, curly blonde hair framed a stunning face with meticulously applied makeup that perfectly accentuated her sky blue eyes and vibrant red lips. It was Cathy, the only person who Allison had evenly remotely considered a friend since she became a Chevalier. Her expression was calm, and her eyes slightly lit up when Allison entered the room.

“Hi, Allie,” Cathy said cheerfully, yet softly. Allison was too nervous to fully notice the change from her usual disposition.

“Hi, Cathy,” Allison said, trying to sound normal. She expected one of Cathy’s bear hugs, but it never came. Cathy simply stood there, facing Allison with a gentle smile on her face.

“Did you get home okay?” Allison asked.

“I did, thank you very much for ordering that cab for me,” Cathy replied.

Good, she still seems to think that she’s the one who asked for the cab. Here we go, Allison thought as she took a deep breath.

“So, Cathy, about my ‘friend’ that you met last night,” she started.

“Yes?” Cathy asked.

“I, um… I decided to ‘evict’ him, if you know what I mean,” Allison continued. Cathy frowned.

“Oh, why’s that?” she asked.

“Well, he was too much of a risk to keep around. You met him pretty quickly after he moved in, and I realized that if somebody less agreeable found out, then I could end up in real trouble. Besides, frankly, he was exhausting his use to me anyway,” Allison explained with a nervous grin.

“I see,” Cathy replied.

Is she taking this super well, or is it just me? Allison thought.

“A-Anyway, I know that you were wanting to ‘hang out’ with him again, but I started to panic a little after you left and kicked him out. I hope you’re not too mad at me,” she continued, putting on her best puppy-dog eyes as she pleaded for forgiveness. Cathy simply chuckled in response.

“It’s fine, Allie,” she said softly, “there are plenty of other people to hang out with. You have to do what’s best for yourself.” 

Allison was relieved.

“I… I’m really glad to hear that, Cathy. You seemed to have so much fun, I thought you’d be mad at me,” she said with a guilty smile.

“Please, Allie, I’d never get mad for something like that. What did you have to do to get him to leave?” she asked.

Alright, this is it, Allison thought. This is the crucial moment.

“Well, he was really resistant, obviously, since I was housing him for free, after all,” she started. Cathy nodded.

“Eventually, I just had to get firm and put my foot down. I told him to get the fuck out, and he finally left,” she said.

Cathy laughed in response.

“Well, I suppose it’s only right. You did what you know best,” she said.

“That’s not all,” Allison said. “I took a picture. Wanna see?”

“Of course!” Cathy replied. Her heart pounding, Allison opened up her photos app and showed Cathy the screen.

The picture was of Allison’s kitchen floor. There, contrasted against the cold, white tile, was a horrifying red stain. It looked as if a water balloon filled with ketchup had been dropped on the ground, red liquid splattering in every direction. In the center was a nondescript lump of organs and bone. Stained red by the blood that had erupted from it, one could hardly tell what it used to be unless they knew it beforehand. Both Allison and Cathy, of course, knew exactly what it was.

“Wow,” Cathy said after staring at the image for a few moments, “Not bad, Allie. That looks really impressive.”

“Thanks!” replied Allison joyfully, internally freaking out that Cathy had seemingly accepted the picture. She drew her phone away and slipped it into her pocket.

Glancing at the folded piece of paper, Allison decided it was time to move on to the other important subject.

“So, one other thing, Cathy…” she began nervously. Before she could continue, however, Cathy raised one hand to stop her.

“Hold on, Allie,” she said, “can I say one thing first?”

I have a bad feeling about this, Allison thought, although she didn’t let it show.

“Of course, what is it?” she asked.

Cathy’s face slightly darkened, and her voice became soft.

“Once I sobered up last night, I remembered what we had talked about before your session yesterday,” she said.

Allison’s blood turned to ice, and she began to nervously sweat. Somehow, though, her face remained neutral.

“What, the breathing technique?” Allison asked, desperately hoping to redirect the conversation again.

“No, you asked me about if it was possible for a convict to be innocent,” she continued quietly.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Allison thought.

“O-Oh, yeah, I did,” she said nervously, trying to remember her previous excuse. “Like I said, I saw some Anti-SP propaganda. I’m over it now.”

“I thought it was interesting,” Cathy said, ignoring Allison’s excuse, “that five days after you get a new roommate, your first day back to work has you asking about innocent convicts, and you borderline have a panic attack after your first session.”

This is over, Allison thought, a cold sense of melancholy drowning her senses. She knows. We’re dead.

Allison dropped her persona, her face becoming deadly serious. An agonizing silence fell across the empty hallway as she deliberated how to respond.

“…What about it, Cathy?” she finally asked, unable to completely hide the trembling in her voice.

Cathy stared at her for a moment, her stunning blue eyes going to war against Allison’s browns. Her face was completely unreadable, even to Allison. After a small eternity, though, her eyes softened. Her eyebrows lowered, and her face took on an expression of soft, resigned sadness.

“Must be a coincidence,” she whispered sadly.

Wait, what? Allison thought. She can’t be serious. What the fuck is going on?

“What…?” Allison couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“You have to be careful,” Cathy continued, her voice becoming deadly serious. After a brief pause, she continued.

“…With what you read on the internet. There’s some dangerous stuff out there.”

Oh… oh, I see, Allison thought. Her heartbeat slowed, and her expression softened.

“I will, Cathy,” she replied quietly. Finally, Cathy moved in for a hug. Her long arms wrapped around Allison’s frame tightly, and she squeezed with all her might. For the first time, Allison truly reciprocated her embrace. When she pulled back, Cathy had small tears in her eyes.

“You are one of the most perceptive and discerning people I’ve ever met,” Cathy said, wiping her eyes. “If you make a judgement, I know it wasn’t made lightly. That doesn’t mean I think you’re right, but I trust that you wouldn’t put yourself in danger over something you don’t truly believe in.”

“That’s right, Cathy,” Allison replied. “I wouldn’t do something like that unless I was absolutely sure.”

“In that case,” Cathy said with a resolved huff and a smile, “there’s nothing I could say to convince you anyway.”

Allison gave her a gentle smile in response.

“What’s that piece of paper you’ve got, sweetie?” she asked.

She already knows. At least I can skip the bullshit excuse.

“It’s my resignation letter. Once I walk out of here I’ll no longer be a Chevalier,” Allison answered.

“I see,” Cathy said sadly, unable to stop a tear from streaking down her beautiful face. “I think that’s what’s best for you. I will so, incredibly, unbelievably miss you, though.”

Allison took on a troubled expression.

I need to make this clear, she thought.

“Cathy… Cathy, I don’t know what path I’m going to go down,” she started, “but there’s a really good chance that you and I will end up walking in clashing directions.”

Cathy nodded.

“I know, Allie,” she replied softly, her face colored with regret.

“Okay,” Allison said firmly. “Goodbye, Cathy.”

With that, she turned and moved towards the door. When her hand was on the handle, though, she looked back.

“Cathy?” she said.

“Yes?” Cathy replied.   

“Do you truly believe in the Shrink Penalty, or do you just like being a Chevalier?” she asked. Cathy gave a thoughtful, sad smile.

“Goodbye, Allie,” she said quietly. Allison nodded, and exited the hallway.

~

“I’m home,” Allison declared, happy that she finally had someone there to answer her.

“Welcome home, Allie,” replied a small voice. Allison smiled brightly and turned towards the source of the noise- the small table next to the front door, now empty after the potted plant had been broken. There, leaning against the wall, was a one-inch tall man with messy black hair and striking, cheerful green eyes. Brian Bentley had once again welcomed Allison Starr home.

She tossed her bag aside and cheerfully scooped Brian up in her palms, relishing the feeling of his delicate body well protected by her upturned fingers. She trotted over to the sofa and plopped down, ever careful not to jostle her companion around too much.

“Well… did she buy the picture?” Brian asked nervously.

“No,” Allison replied, her smile slightly darkening.

“Well, shit,” Brian said. “Did she connect the dots?”

“Yeah,” Allison said.

“Fuck!” Brian exclaimed. “So, what’s the deal? Are we fucked or are we fucked?!”

Allison gently shook her head, causing Brian to adopt a confused expression.

“No, she’s not going to bother us. I don’t think she believes in your innocence, but she trusts that I wouldn’t believe something like that lightly. So, she’s going to leave us alone,” she explained, her tranquil expression calming Brian’s nerves.

“Well, that’s surprising. And you believe her?” Brian asked. 

“I do,” Allison answered.

“Huh. So, does that mean you successfully quit?” he inquired with a nervous expression.

Allison showed Brian a bright smile- one of the brightest he had ever seen from her.

“I did,” she said joyfully. “I am no longer a Chevalier.”

Brian broke his usual neutral expression to reciprocate Allison’s smile, and he hugged her nearby thumb.

“Allie,” he said emotionally, “I am so proud of you.”

“Me too,” Allison replied, holding back tears. They stayed like this for a few minutes, simply basking in their shared happiness and Allison’s newfound freedom.

~

“So, what now?” Brian asked later that day, after they had allowed themselves to goof off for a few hours.

“Right,” Allison said. “I think I want to contact my old mentor, Professor Dawson. I’m gonna see if it’s not too late to work towards my original career choice.”

“Oh, and what career is that?” Brian asked.

“D-Defense attorney,” Allison answered, suddenly embarrassed.

“Huh. Defense attorney turned Chevalier. Not bad,” Brian muttered, appreciating the irony.

“Wait…” Brian said, suddenly realizing something. “Does this mean you’re going to try and prove my innocence?”

“Is that not something you want?” Allison asked, slightly surprised at his apparent hesitance.

“Well, I don’t know…” Brian admitted. “I stopped thinking about it, since I figured it would never happen.” Allison nodded thoughtfully.

“I mean, the shrinking process is permanent, so I’m not too concerned about ever returning to normal… I don’t really care about my reputation…”

“What about your family?” Allison asked. “Don’t you want them to know the truth?”

Brian’s face darkened.

“My mother can go to hell,” he said angrily. “After only two days she was unwilling to even entertain the thought that her son was in fact not a child murderer. She told me that I should get the Shrink Penalty, and that she’d be willing to squish me herself. Fuck her.”

Wow, sore subject, Allison thought.

“Yeah, t-that’s… that’s pretty rough,” Allison said. “I remember that your family was getting quite a bit of hate after the murder. Do you… do you think she only acted that way because she was trying to protect herself?”

“If so, that means she was willing to sacrifice her relationship with her son to protect her public image. Not sure that’s any better,” Brian replied plainly.

“Yeah, true…” Allison said. “What about your other family?”

“I had nobody else. Well, except for…”

Brian’s face softened.

“Except for my sister,” he said quietly. “I suppose it would be nice for her to learn that her big brother isn’t a murderer.”

Allison smiled sympathetically.   

“Well, listen. That’s something we can decide another day. Either way, though, I would like to reach out to Professor Dawson. Maybe set up a meeting.”

“You think she’ll still help you after everything?” Brian asked hesitantly. “You said that she was privately against the SP.”

“I think she will,” Allison said, thinking back to the letter.

I will always be here for you, and it’s never too late to continue down the path we had planned.

“I think you’d like her, Brian,” Allison said. “Not only is she Anti-SP, she was openly critical of your conviction. She noticed right away all the bullshit they put you through. I probably never would have noticed had she not planted those seeds in my head.”

“Huh,” Brian said, “well that officially makes her my second favorite person on earth.”

“Who’s your first?” Allison asked teasingly. Brian looked up at her for a few moments.

“Myself,” he replied plainly.

“Asshole!” Allison cried playfully, before moving her hand and dropping Brian from a few inches above the sofa. He fell with a yelp, and bounced upwards once he hit the soft fabric.

“I’m lying, I’m lying!” Brian called out with a laugh. “You’re my most favoritest person, Allie!”

Allison broke out in a triumphant grin, before scooping him up once again.

“That’s more like it,” she said, before giving him a light squeeze with her fingers.

“So… are you wanting to tell this Dawson person about me at some point?” Brian asked, a small amount of trepidation in his voice.

“Don’t worry,” Allison said reassuringly, “absolutely nobody is going to know about you unless we both decide it is the right thing to do.”

Brian nodded, relieved.

“Besides,” Allison said softly, a small blush overtaking her face, “I don’t ever want to have to share you again, anyway.”

“Huh?” Brian asked, his own face colored slightly red.

“Like I told Cathy,” Allison continued, finding her confidence, “you’re mine, and mine alone.”

Brian turned away, embarrassed. Allison giggled at his bashful reaction.

Is this the real him? she wondered.

“That… kinda reminds me,” Brian said, his back still turned. Allison made a questioning noise.

“Before Cathy showed up, you told me you had set a new goal for yourself. What is it?” he asked.

Allison’s heart began to race, a panicked look in her eyes. After a moment, though, her heart slowed, and her eyes softened. A small, adoring smile formed on her beautiful face.

Fuck it, she thought.

“My goal is to get Brian Bentley to fall in love with me,” she said softly. 

Brian instantly stiffened, as if he had been struck by lightning. He then began to slowly face his giant companion, a shocked expression on his face. 

“But… but…” he started, trying to find the words.

“Brian Bentley… is small,” he said quietly. “He’s damaged. He has a hard time being serious, and he’s scared of opening up. I don’t know if he could make you happy.”

“Well…” Allison responded slowly. “Brian Bentley is also kind. He’s smart, and funny, too. It’s okay if he has a hard time opening up, because that’s something we could work on together. And I can tell you right now, he’s already made me very happy.”

“But… it’s just…” Brian continued, obviously scared.

“What is it, Brian?” Allison asked kindly.

“It’s just… I can’t fulfill all of your, you know, needs. Even if I wasn’t small, this would still be an issue. I just… can’t, you know, do those things,” he continued hesitantly. 

“Brian,” Allison said with a sigh as she reclined into the sofa, “in my last relationship, sex was used as a weapon. He used it as a bargaining chip, he used it as a threat, an incentive, an insult, everything. He made sex anything he needed it to be. The only thing it never became was fun.”

Brian looked up at her.

“I think…” Allison started. “I think I’m okay with a different type of relationship.”

They stared at each other for a few moments. Brian’s terrified green eyes were locked in an embrace with Allison’s serene browns.

“So,” Allison said softly, “do you think my goal is impossible?”

Brian fidgeted for a few seconds, before his own face turned a shade of red.

“No…” he said, once again turning so his back was facing her. “It seems like a pretty easy goal, to me.”

Allison broke out in an enormous smile. Her heart was practically on fire, and her face was a beacon of warmth and happiness. She gently brought Brian up to her face and lightly kissed his back a few times.

“Glad to hear it,” she said happily as she set her hands back down on her lap. Brian turned around to face her and sat down on her plush, warm skin. He was also showing an enormous smile.

“Thanks for saving me,” he finally said after a few minutes. Allison beamed.

“Brian, I don’t know what our future is gonna be. I don’t know where this path we’ve chosen leads. All I know is that it can’t be the wrong path as long as we walk it together,” she said, as if carving the words into her soul. Brian grinned.

“Allie, I couldn’t agree more.”

At that, Allison reached for him and placed him on her gigantic shoulder. He leaned against her neck as she reached for her laptop, ready to draft an email to her college mentor.

~

Brian Bentley was an innocent man destined to die. Allison Starr was the woman destined to kill him. She didn’t. As a result, they were both able to overcome past trauma and work together at creating a brighter future. No matter what would happen in the future - no matter what happened regarding Brian’s innocence, no matter what happened regarding the Shrink Penalty - they would be able to rest easy knowing that their bond was intact. Such was their nature. Together, they walked out of darkness and into the light, ready to face the world under the sun.

~

The End.