~

“Alright, the first one is Fellowship, so rent that one first. Next is Two Towers, and the last one is Return of the King. Make sure to get the extended editions.”

Brian Bentley, the most hated man in the country, was getting ready to have a Lord of the Rings marathon with the woman who was supposed to execute him, Allison Starr. As he had shared the day prior, Brian was a big fan of the series, and Allison suggested that they watch them together. She had done so as an opportunity for her to learn more about her tiny companion’s interests, while at the same time deepening their relationship. After all, Allison made it her goal to make Brian happy after he had been wrongly convicted for murder, and what better way to make someone happy than to share in their favorite movies? It was 7:45 in the morning, and Brian was lecturing Allison on what the proper marathon-watching steps were, as if he was a professor on the first day of class.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t get the theatrical cuts?” Allison asked teasingly. “We could save so much time that way!” 

With one hand on his hip, Brian pointed a miniscule finger in his gargantuan protector’s direction disapprovingly.

“Don’t make me come up there, young lady,” he said sternly.

“Fine, fine,” Allison relented, before inputting some commands into her enormous television. “It is done. Now, what’s the protocol for food?”

“Right. We’ll eat breakfast now, then start Fellowship. Be sure to set up any snack food ahead of time so it is in grabbing distance. That doesn’t really apply to me, since I can’t reach or eat any snack food, but that’s neither here nor there,” Brian started.

“After Fellowship, we’ll eat breakfast again instead of lunch. You’ll understand why later. Then, we’ll eat dinner between Two Towers and Return of the King. Pizza is standard, so you should get some for yourself, and I’ll have some leftover soup,” he continued.

“Are you really okay with more soup? We could think of something more fun, you know,” Allison asked thoughtfully.

“We have no time for such distractions!” Brian said theatrically, causing Allison to giggle.

“Really, though, soup is fine. Thanks for asking,” he said, returning to a normal tone. Allison nodded. She was just glad to see him so animated, especially after the breakdown from two days prior.

“So, let’s get breakfast going, and then we can start. Any questions?” Brian asked. Allison’s hand shot up.

“Where would you like to sit?” she asked. This was a more important question than one might think. Due to Brian’s size, Allison would have to be the one to place him wherever he wanted to go. During the movie, then, this meant that Brian would more or less be stuck there. Therefore, she wanted to make sure he would be comfortable. Allison was a naturally thoughtful person, and Brian was quickly coming to appreciate it.

“Anywhere next to you on the sectional is fine. If you would prop a pillow behind me I’d appreciate it. They’re really comfortable to recline into.”

“Got it,” Allison replied, with just the smallest hint of sadness. Although she was happy that he specified that he wanted to be near her, a part of her was hoping that he would ask to be on her shoulder, or in her hand. From the brief moments where Allison transported Brian from room to room in the palm of her hand, she was quickly becoming addicted to the feeling. Feeling him safe and secure awoke some of her previously unknown protective instincts, and she loved the feeling of his little body as it rested in her hand. She was scared to ask him directly, though, so she simply hoped that he would eventually ask for those things on his own.

“Oh, but what if there’s some kind of emergency, or you need to use the bathroom?” Allison asked. “How are you gonna get my attention?”

They both thought carefully for a moment, before Brian pointed a finger upwards in realization.

“My phone. Prop it up nearby so the screen is facing you, and if I need to get your attention I’ll turn it on. If you see the screen light up, you’ll know to pause,” he explained.

“That’s perfect! You’re really smart, Brian,” Allison praised. Brian shrugged, his face ever remaining neutral.

“Turns out my brain only looks small. Who knew,” he joked. Allison rolled her eyes, before moving to grab some cereal for herself, and some previously cut fruit for Brian.

Soon enough, they found themselves on the sofa, ready to begin the momentous undertaking of watching all of Lord of the Rings in one day. Allison was seated at one of the corners of the sectional, one arm propped up against the arm rest. She was slightly reclined to the side, with her legs partially stretched out down the length of the sectional. In front of her thighs was a single small pillow, at the front of which was her one inch companion, reclining against it comfortably.

Incidentally, Allison was dressed to the nines in her softest, fuzziest attire. She had on a slightly too-big sweater made of the finest quality fluff, thick gray sweatpants, and obnoxiously fuzzy socks. All of which had been recently thrown in the dryer, of course. Again, this was all in service of her practically subconscious desire to get physically closer to Brian. With non verbal confirmations that they were both comfortable, Allison punched some commands into the remote, and their marathon began.

~

Soon enough, Allison and Brian were immersed in the fantasy world. Allison was not very familiar with the genre, but she was quickly becoming a fan. There was one thing keeping her from fully focusing on the movie, however. Allison had made sure to place Brian in a spot that she could view without having to turn her head, just in case his phone lit up. A side effect of this, though, was that Allison was able to watch Brian’s adorable reactions to what was happening in the movie. Every now and then, sometimes without her even noticing, she found herself looking at her miniscule comrade instead of the screen. 

Due to the fact that Brian had a resting neutral face, Allison was learning to read his emotions through his eyes. During the movie, Brian’s eyes were sparkling, as if they contained an entire galaxy. He seemed entirely engrossed in the film world, and Allison thought it was one of the most precious things she had ever seen. She realised that what she was witnessing was somebody watching their favorite movie for the first time in three years, and she couldn’t help but smile the entire time. Slowly, with ever increasing intensity, Allison felt a long forgotten stirring of warmth within her stomach.

~

After their meal of second breakfast, Allison now appreciating the reference, they returned to the couch to begin the second movie in the trilogy. Although Brian did not want to change locations, Allison was now sitting in a more upright position, her legs hanging off the edge of the sofa. Her hands were resting in her lap, and she almost felt like they were being magnetically drawn towards Brian.

Much like she had done earlier, Allison continued to enjoy Brian’s face just as much as the movie, if not more. As few were willing to admit outside of anonymous message boards, Brian was actually a pretty handsome man. Behind his eerily emotionless supposed murderer expression, which in actuality was simply a resting neutral face, he had a boy-next-door kind of charm to him. When his eyes were sparkling, this quality was on full display, as Allison was learning. He had no hint of any facial hair, and his eyes could be wide and curious when he was relaxed. Seeing this side of him was a wonderful experience for his gargantuan guardian.

Allison was experiencing an immense feeling of satisfaction at that moment. For one thing, she was watching a fantastic movie for the first time. Beyond that, though, she was witnessing the results of her dangerous choice to shield Brian Bentley from death. His eyes had seemed so empty when she first met him. He hardly seemed to be aware of what was going on. At the time, she had attributed this to his cold-blooded murdering nature, but he was simply hiding the immense fear and sadness that he had been carrying. Then, he broke down right in front of her. He was a kid who was about to die for a crime he didn’t commit, and he simply couldn’t take it anymore. At that moment, Allison had decided that she simply couldn’t let somebody with that kind of sadness die, and the fruits of her labor were now being revealed to her. Brian was alive. Brian was comfortable in her presence. Brian was watching his favorite movie. Brian was happy. As a result of this, Allison was very happy too.

Eventually, about an hour into Two Towers, Allison simply couldn’t take it anymore. She straightened her back and took a deep breath. Then, without warning, she gently plucked Brian up from his spot in front of the pillow. He went tense for a moment, but his fear was quickly replaced with simple confusion. Allison transferred his small body, appreciating the feeling of his muscular physique between her fingers all the while, to her waiting palm. She plopped him down in her left palm, and quickly moved her right hand underneath her left for extra support. Brian looked up at Allison, silently asking for an explanation, but all he could see was Allison’s face, crimson red, as she desperately tried to avert eye contact by watching the screen. She was extremely nervous- would he demand to be put back? Would he get uncomfortable? Would he get mad she touched him without his permission? As such, her heart was racing and her cheeks were red. After a moment, though, she felt Brian settling into her hand, relaxing his body as he put his hands on the soft, cushy floor for support. Brian had accepted Allison’s initiative, and her heart soared. Needless to say, she suddenly found it even harder to focus on the events of the film.

~

After dinner, the pair was finally making their way through the end of the trilogy. Incidentally, Brian had not left Allison’s palm for the remainder of Two Towers. At one point, he had laid down on his side, using Allison’s thumb as a pillow, and she had to try not to squeal with happiness. Partway through Return of the King, however, Allison decided to change positions. She was now fully laying down along the side of the sectional, her head resting sideways on a pillow. Brian was resting on the area right above her chest and below her neck, fully reclined into her fluffy sweater. Although Allison could no longer see him, her right hand was resting across his body, keeping him secure while her hand acted like a living blanket. His arms were resting over the crest of her hand, and she knew that if he needed help he could simply tap on her skin a few times. Like a switch had been flipped, Allison was now completely fine with asking for physical contact with Brian, and he was completely fine with agreeing to it. Turns out, they were both longing for it, but they were both too shy to ask. Now that the event horizon had been crossed, however, they were both able to fully enjoy the kind of unique contact that could only happen between a giant woman and a tiny man.

~

“That was great. It’s been so long since I last watched those, it feels like a part of my soul was missing,” Brian said. The movie marathon was over, and Brian and Allison were discussing them before they went to bed. Brian was once again perched in Allison’s palm, but she was now holding him slightly closer to her face.

“Did you like them?” he asked, his smug eyes suggesting that he already knew the answer. Allison didn’t want to admit defeat just yet, though, so she simply shrugged.

“They were pretty good. I didn’t really get fully invested in the characters, though,” she replied. Brian narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Oh, really?” Brian asked, really drawing out the word. “Who was it, then, that I recall openly crying when a certain somebody said ‘you bow to no one,’ hmm?”

“Shut up!” Allison exclaimed. “I just have a condition where every time something emotional happens my eyes start to leak this salty liquid, that’s all!”
“Hmm. Sounds like you should get that checked out. You know, by Doctor Eugene. F. Bullshit,” Brian replied, causing Allison to giggle.

“Alright, fine!” Allison sighed, “they were really, really good. We’ll definitely have to watch them again sometime.”

“Damn right,” Brian said, striking a triumphant pose.

“I do have one question, though,” Allison said, holding up one finger for emphasis.

“What’s that?” Brian asked.

“Why didn’t they just fly on those giant eagles to Mordor?” she replied.

“Because Sauron would have seen them coming from miles away. The whole point was to get there in secret,” Brian answered.

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.”

~

About an hour had passed. Allison and Brian had spent the time continuing to discuss the movies.

Brian talking about cool trivia…

“Hey did you know the actor for Aragorn broke his toe when he kicked that helmet?”

“No, why the fuck would I know that?”

Allison asking about the extended universe…

“So, just how hard is the Silmarillion to read?”

“Well, let’s just say that you get credit for trying.”

And other topics of conversation regarding the fantastical world that Allison had just discovered.

After a while, though, Brian grew quiet. Allison grew concerned, his eyes had returned to a somewhat empty state, and she knew that something heavy was on his mind.

“Brian, what’s wrong?” she asked, bringing one finger to the side of his face. Brian stayed quiet for a few moments, before he steeled his resolve and looked towards Allison.

“Allison, would you like to know what really happened to Timmy Osment?”

Allison’s heart skipped a beat.

“Really? You’re okay talking about it? I’m completely fine waiting a while, you know,” she replied.

“It’s fine. I know you are more curious than you’re letting on, and it’s only fair that I let you in on what happened,” Brian said. “Especially since you’ve been so nice,” he muttered.

“Okay,” Allison said, “but if at any point you want to stop, please tell me.”

Brian nodded, and Allison reclined back into the sofa, one finger propped behind Brian’s back just in case.

“I was 18, as you know,” Brian started. “It was late at night, and I was walking around my city. I had a fight with my mother, and I was afraid to go back home. I went to a commercial area, which is where a lot of stores and restaurants were. Eventually, I heard some kind of a yell, so I started walking in the direction it came from. I saw somebody running away from a certain spot in an alley. It looked like they had their phone in their hands,” he continued. Allison once again wondered why Brian’s testimony was never released to the public. 

What about this story is so important? She thought.

“I ran over to the spot they seemed to be running from, and I saw a large figure crouching over a smaller figure. The large figure was dressed in all black, and it was too dark to see his face. My guess is that he was about 6’4. He seemed startled, probably because of the person who ran, and when he saw me he took off. I still didn’t really know what was going on at that point, so I ran to check on the smaller figure,” he continued. Allison braced herself for what would happen next. Brian seemed to have a hard time saying it, though, so she decided to give him a nudge.

“Was it Timmy?” she asked gently. Brian nodded, his eyes darkening even further.

“It was Timmy. He was on the ground. He had a huge gash in his neck. There was so much blood,” Brian said. He closed his eyes.

“He was still alive, Allison. Whatever happened must have just happened. I didn’t know what to do. I ran over and took off my jacket, I tried to wrap part of it around his neck. I tried to hold it there, but there was just so much fucking blood,” he continued, his voice rising in frustration near the end. Allison began to stroke his back tenderly with her finger.

“I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. He died right in front of me. Then, some fucking police officer showed up. He saw my hands around Timmy’s neck. He didn’t seem to care much about the giant gash in his neck, or the fact that everything was covered in blood, and he tackled me to the ground. He kicked me. He kept. Fucking. Kicking me,” Brian said, gritting his teeth.

“I begged him. I screamed. I begged him to go look in the direction that the large man went. I swore that I was just trying to help. It didn’t matter. He eventually stopped kicking me, and called in some backup and an ambulance. I was arrested. That’s it,” Brian said.

Allison was shocked. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time? she thought.

“B-but why-”
“I don’t know why Timmy Osment, child superstar, was in some random alley. They say he was in the city for some event, but that alley was nowhere near where he was supposed to be. I don’t know why somebody had sliced his neck in the middle of a commercial center where somebody could see them. I don’t know fucking anything. All I know is that I couldn’t help him,” Brian said sadly. He was struggling to keep his tone steady, and Allison’s heart ached. There was one thing she didn’t understand.

“Why were you convicted so quickly? Your story suggests that there was another potential suspect. There was even another person who noticed the crime before you got there. Why didn’t they look for that person? Why were they so quick to condemn you?”

Brian looked up at Allison, making eye contact for the first time since he had started his story.

“You said it yourself two days ago. They wanted someone to blame. Nobody wanted to admit that they had no clue who killed Timmy Osment,” he said flatly.

“The trial was a joke. That’s why they didn’t televise it. The autopsy would have shown the gashes in Timmy’s neck, which didn’t line up with the fact that they never found a weapon. That’s why they didn’t release it, or my testimony. A whole lot of people worked together to make sure that my life was ruined for something that I didn’t do, Allison.”

At that, he went silent, and Allison grappled with what she had just heard. She still had questions, but she didn’t want to push Brian any harder, so she just continued to stroke his back while he sat in her hand, his green eyes holding an ocean of darkness. After a while, though, Brian spoke once more. His voice was barely a whisper.

“He was so scared, Allison. He was just a kid. I tried to tell him that everything was going to be okay. He was so scared. He didn’t need me. He needed his family. I shouldn’t have been the last thing he ever saw,” he said.

“It was better than dying alone, Brian,” she replied softly. “You tried to help him.”

After a few moments, Brian raised his head. He slapped his cheeks with his hands a few times, and he returned to a more normal tone and expression.

“Anyway, so that’s what happened. I wish I knew more, but it seems my questions will never be answered. As far as the world is concerned, the case is closed. Do you still believe me, Allison?” he asked cautiously. Allison softly smiled at him.

“I do, Brian. I believe you,” she replied.

“You’re the first person to ever say that to me and mean it. Thank you,” Brian said.

At that, they both decided it was time for bed. Soon, Brian was in his carrier, and Allison was in her bed. They were staring at each other, sharing in their newfound connection.

“Goodnight, Allison,” said Brian. Allison slightly furrowed her brow.

“… Allie,” she said after a moment.

“Huh?” Brian asked.

“If you want… you can call me Allie,” she replied. Brian looked perplexed.

“Isn’t that what that terrifying woman called you at the facility?” he asked. Allison smiled at his description of Cathy.

“Yes, but I never asked her to call me that. You would be the first person in years to call me that with my permission,” she replied.

“I'm honored. In that case…” Brian began.

“Goodnight, Allie.”

Allison beamed.

“Goodnight, Brian. Thank you for telling me what happened.”

She turned off the light. One more day had passed, and the bond between the man meant to die and the woman meant to kill him had strengthened immensely.