"Ow! Dangit..." 

Anja sucked in air sharply when she stubbed her toe on a stone sticking out of the road. She kicked it. It didn't go far. She hastened home faster, not looking where she was going and quite frankly not caring. She was an average girl in almost every regard, and nobody paid her a second glance as she stormed block after block. Or maybe it was the fact that she was a mere five inches tall that they didn't notice her. Anyway, today just wasn't going well for her. And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she took a wrong step and felt her stomach rise to her throat. She screamed as she clung to the metal grating over the street drain with all her might.

Rolling his shoulders back, Everett groaned. He'd just had the toughest day at work ever, what with all the angry customers that seemed to think he ran the system. He scratched the back of his neck, clearing his throat. The weather was way too cold already for September, compelling him to shiver.

The road was fairly empty except for the occasional passing car or equally cold pedestrian. The dark-haired young man sniffled. Was he getting a cold..?

As he walked, he thought that he heard a small shriek, and his brown eyes darted around, searching for the source.

Hands burning. Slipping. Normally, she would have scolded herself for the pathetic gasps of horror that escaped her. But the water below rushed mericilessly and she knew she would drown. It ran for miles, didn't it? All underground? She felt her arms burning. Her will was strong, but could her meager upper body strength save her life?  Her escalated breathing reverberated off the metallic walls inside the drain, but she knew she went unheard by the human beings above ground. She could feel them walking nearby, the tremors only making it more difficult to hold on.

 "Nononono!" She pleaded with her own fingers, struggling to grasp the slick metal.

"Um.. hello?" Everett called out, hearing yet another small voice. Was there a television or radio somewhere nearby? "Anyone out there?"

Anja fell silent, questions racing through her mind on whether to reveal herself. Either that, or die alone, she reasoned. 

"Look down!" She shrieked.

It took him a second to register in his mind that someone had just given him an instruction, and then he finally thought to look at the ground.

Just before him was a drain grate leading to who knew where, and his heart began to race as he fell forward on the metal bars. "Is someone down there? Hello?" He shouted, not seeing anything but churning, black water.

She loosed another embarrassingly shrill scream when the bars quaked, making her grip loosen considerably. One hand now, the other flailing about for a hold.

A blur of something caught him by surprised, and Everett had to second-glance it. He leaned closer, biting his lower lip.

"Uh.." He reached out, slipping his hand through the bars. "Who.. what..?"

"Just grab me already!" Anja cried out in a panic. The consequences of bossing around a gigantic being were far from troubling at the moment. If she could just survive this... Everything would be okay. "I-I can't....I"m gonna fall!!"

Stammering, Everett remained still. With a yelp, one of the girl's hands slipped, compelling him to lunge forward, his hand wrapping around the miniature girl. It was so strange - the way his fingers curled almost perfectly around her back and side, and his thumb slipped under her arms which fell limp as she dropped. His arm hit the sides of the metal as he navigated it back out, so he took extra care not to smack his wrist, hand, or the precious object it carried against the iron.

The second she was out in the open, his left hand cupped under her feet, folding her legs under her so that she was kneeling in one palm, secured by his other hand.

He couldn't breathe.

She had always scorned those who cried easily. How hypocritical she felt now, as tears of relief flowed smoothly down her cheeks. How beautiful the open air was. The gloomy sky overhead, the hand of the human who... Saved her. Hand. Oh my gosh. "Th-Thank you. Thank you so much..." she said in between juddering breaths. She was alive. As Anja stared up into the face of her savior, she became increasingly aware of the coiled restraints around her. Fingers. Very, very large fingers. Her body wanted to be terrified, curse  at him, threaten, or jump for her life. But to be quite honest, she just didn't have it in her; clinging for  dear life had drained her extensively. With a shuddering sigh, Anja let herself fall limply to the side against whichever of his hands that was.

 "Out of the frying pan and into the fire..." She mumbled into his skin.

"H-huh?" The young man asked, furrowing his brow.

Remembering himself, he sat down on the curb of the sidewalk. "Are..are you alright?" His voice was all scratchy with worry, and he mentally kicked himself. As far as he could tell, the strange girl was crying.

Her normal trepidation of humans was temporarily lapsing. No one had ever told her about the strange surge of endorphins that came with narrowly surviving death. Like in a daze, the small girl let her head roll back so she could stare straight up at that looming face. "You saved my life..." She smiled weakly, a strange serenity taking hold despite the whirlwind of emotions churning inside. She could barely think straight.

Finding the big brown eyes locked on his own, Everett felt himself blushing. "I..I guess so.." he croaked, lowering his hands. The girl's layered brunette hair gently wafted in the slight breeze that the mundane activity had caused, and everything began to seem hazy, starting with the lighting.

An icy wind suddenly tore down the street, blasting him and causing him to get chills everywhere. Out of habit, he drew his arms near to him, momentarily forgetting that he was holding a person.

That was enough to sober her up a bit. "Geez!" She put up her arms, holding them out as if to hold her own body weight apart from the human's bulk. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary; he wasn't crushing her.  She was just... Incredibly close to him. Her eyes went wide with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness. She could see every stitch in the torso of his jacket. Anja felt herself slide closer to him due to gravity, and she scrambled backward on his palm to try and counteract that.

"Oh, sorry," Everett grimaced. "Just..like to hug myself when I'm cold..gosh that sounded better in my head." He blushed, rolling his eyes.

"So um...you got a name?"

"Queen Elizabeth." She said dryly. As if he expected her to just go tell him all about herself... Honestly.  "By the way, You can, um... y'know, put me down whenever you're ready." She was still lightheaded to the point of queasiness, but she was increasingly uneasy just sitting here in his hand. Like a sitting duck.

"Oh, yeah," Everett hurriedly set her down, probably too quickly. "Well, uh.. see you around.." he stood up and tripped backwards over the curb, barely catching himself.

She hoped he couldn't hear unladylike grunt she made when she righted herself on the ground, then immediately bashed herself for caring what he thought at all. "Bye..." She breathed, scuffling backwards as he unfolded to several stories into her sky in a matter of seconds. The tingling of butterflies erupted into a wild swarm inside her tummy. She frowned deeply at him all of a sudden. Why was he just letting her go? Just like that?

"So... yeah.." He shrugged, turning. 'Don't look at her. Don't look at her. Don't look back." he thought, slowly dragging his feet forward and jamming his hands into his pockets at the same time. His heart was racing right now, and he had no idea why.. Tiny person, maybe? Yeah, what was new? For a split second he glanced over his shoulder, but he didn't really know where to look so his eyes merely skimmed down the street before returning to the view ahead.

She stood there, gaping dumbly after him before realizing she was letting the man who had saved her life just walk right back out of her life!  Regardless of his size, she would surely be dead at this moment if he hadnt come along. Her legs acted before she could come to a decision: jogging, running, then sprinting close along the edge of the curb. She saw his shoes up ahead between the occasional passerby, not too further. Maybe she could catch up... And then what? Logic seemed to have no part to play in this.

Everett sighed, and then he swore under his breath. "Fantastic, smart one. You're going the wrong way.." He pivoted quickly, shouldering past some pedestrians to head in the correct direction. Hopefully that girl wouldn't see him. But what did he care? She didn't seem to like him at all.

"You've GOT to be kidding me!" Anja panted. She had finally managed to catch up, only for him to turn around and walk the other way. She moaned in frustration and bolted back after him. Would it really be worth the effort? Almost getting stepped on? 'I almost died once today, I'd rather not repeat that...' 

He was out of sight for a moment, lost to her vision from the other giant pedestrians. Clutching the curb, she was ready to call it quits. She had to find somewhere to take cover before this rain- there he was! She raced to end, where the curb tapered to a ramp. Her lungs and throat were numb at this point, but some form of virtue demanded she thank him properly. The crosswalk was about to change. Anja threw herself forward, dodging another woman, and clinging to his pantleg. "HEY!" She called up.

Something shouted up to him and very lightly tugged on his jeans, causing Everett to glance down. He halted in his tracks, accidentally causing the minuscule girl beneath him to lose her grip and slide down, landing on the seat of her pants.

"Whoa, you okay?" He knelt down, feeling a bit dazed.

"Yeah." She saw him start to kneel, but squeezed her eyes shut to save herself the mind-dizzying sensation that came with watching him do so. "I... I um..." Great. All that, and she couldn't form a proper sentence. "You..." Anja felt the weight of his gaze on her. She peeked open her own to gape up at him.

"Am I.. scaring you?" He backed up, and then chose to sit cross legged in front of her.

"Not really." The lie came easier than expected. "Just... Out of breath is all... You're really fast!" She laughed breathlessly, somehow managing to smile way up towards his face.

"Fast? Were you chasing me?" He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. He had gone a pretty far distance compared to where he had lifted her from the gutter, and he almost felt guilty.

"Um... Yeah." She smiled sheepishly, her heart still hammering and lungs still spasming in her chest from the exertion. "I guess I just... I just..." 

She scowled at the leg of his jeans. 

"Urgh, why is it so hard to talk to you? I wanted to say a better thank you for saving my life, okay?" She practically hollered it, but at least she had said it. Suddenly feeling vulnerable again, she lifted her gaze skyward. Gosh, he took up so much of her view..

Everett sighed, almost relieved that the tension was gone. 

"It...you.. you're welcome," he sighed, tapping his fingers on the concrete ground. "Did.. you need something?"

Anja didn't answer, mesmerized by the movement of his hand so close to her on the ground. His hands were anything but feminine, yet they somehow moved with grace. The movement must be so simple to him, but he could have pinned her down with just his index finger if he wanted to. She swallowed.

Everett stared at the ground, unaware of how shaky the girl before him looked. At last, he looked up past the curly locks of deep, dyed red hair before his eyes, his face twisted with curiosity. 

"Are you sure... you're okay?"

"I don't know..." She murmured. Probably too quietly for him to hear. Anja ripped her gaze from his knuckles and nearly fell over just trying to get all of him in sight. She grumbled at the inconvenience, glancing around to make sure the coast is clear. 

"Why aren't you freaking out?" It had been intended to be demanding, but her energy was waning, and it came out as a curious inquisition instead. 'He has really nice eyes. Good jaw too.'

Taken aback, Everett chewed the corner of his lip. "Me? Why aren't you?" His voice was high pitched. Why was she so tiny..? And adorable..? What was he even thinking?

"I have no idea!" A genuine laugh surfaced. "I must not be thinkin' straight after all those 'I thought I was gonna die!' Hormones." She couldn't help but think of how cute that blush would be on his cheeks were he her size. Come to think of if, it still was. Wait, was SHE making him all nervous?

"Uh, heh, heh," he forced himself to laugh a bit, slouching over. "Well I guess it's a good thing I came along... um.. yeah," he reached up to scratch the back of his head. Why was today such a blustery cold day? "Are you cold?" He asked numbly, and then he instantly regretted it. Far too often did he speak the first thought on his mind..

Anja stood still, brown eyes studying his face for any signs of malice. Finding none, she willed herself to take a step closer. "A little." She admitted, cross her arms across her chest. She was curious as to what exactly he thought he could do about it.

"Guh.. um..here," he stripped off his dark green zip-up hoodie, then lowered it to the ground. It was gargantuan compared to her...

A dazzling smile spanned her chapped lips when she realized what he was doing. "And they say chivalry's dead." She mused, strategically stepping into the folds of fabric. It still bore remnants of body heat and a faint odor of men's body spray and something else she couldn't quite place. She sank into the rumpled sleeve, having to almost wade her way back to the middle. "I could pitch a tent in here!" She grinned and shook her head.

Everett smiled, a dimple in his right cheek showing. It had been a while since he'd acted so affable toward anyone, and he felt a little sense of pride as he did. "So, Queen Elizabeth, huh?"

"It's Anja." She corrected, not looking up at him again.  He deserved to know that much, but it was so difficult to be upfront when he was literally taking up 90% of her view. And that was just his legs!

 "Sorry.." She shuffled around more on the massive hoodie,  "Guess I'm a little... Defensive 'round you guys."

Everett rolled the name around on his tongue. He'd never heard a name like it, and he was starting to think it was beautiful. 

He softened his tone. "Oh..it's alright. I can understand that, I guess.." He shivered, unsheltered from the cold. "I'm Everett, by the way."

At first, she thought he said "Everest" and gave a short laugh at the irony, since he was as big as a mountain to her. "Oh. Everett..." She repeated. She stumbled back when his arms moved so suddenly. Lying on her back, she saw he was shivering. Must not be used to this harsh weather. And she was standing on his sweater... 

"Why are you laughing?" He mumbled. Worry filled him as she tripped backwards, but then she seemed okay.

"Do you think we could talk more discreetly?" She suggested, taking a brave step closer to his knee.

 "Yeah, we probably should.."

"Come on." she took several deep breaths to steel her nerve. 

Nothing's going to happen... he's a nice guy... and you know how to defend yourself if something goes wrong.

"You're going to freeze to death." Her heart beat heavily, but she extended an arm to touch his denim-clad knee.

Everett flinched at the tiny hand against his rugged jeans. "Y-you want me to put it back on?" He furrowed his brow. "But you'll be  too cold.."

Anja found her fear disappearing slowly. Sure this guy was bigger than a four-story building to her... But he was just so adorably flustered. It made her flush with a small bit of pleasure when it struck her that SHE was getting him worked up. 

"Don't over-think this." She moved a safe distance away in case he was startled again. "You picked me up once already... I mean, unless I'm too heavy for ya." She crossed her arms across her chest.

He stammered. "P-pick you up?" And yet, there she was, so delicate.. So fragile.. Like a beautiful, soft flower. His heart thumped against the wall of his chest, and suddenly, all of his emotions and sympathies were flooding out toward this amazing, impossible being. He just had to protect her...

Anja glanced over her shoulder nervously. The few people who passed didn't seem notice her, but she felt a tightness in her chest at the sight of the other colossal humans and her out in the open. 

"Don't be a wimp!" Her fear once again made her bold, her brow creased in concern. "Come on, someone's gonna see!" She pleaded.

"You're right. Hold still, okay?" Everett swallowed, determination evident in his sudden change of disposition. He gripped on to the edges of his grounded jacket, slightly grimacing as he saw the flash of fear that swiftly overtook Anja's fair-skinned expression. "I'm sorry about this," he gritted his teeth, and then he was standing, bunching up the fabric in his arms. Poor Anja seemed to get momentarily lost in the folds, and then she was clambering up one of the layers, her face pale. "You okay?" He whispered, passing by some people as unsuspiciously as possible.

The breath she might have used to scream was knocked from her lungs when she fell to the bottom of the jacket. She forced her way to the top, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. What if he smothered her by accident?! 

"Dizzy..." She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head. She looked up toward his face- which looked really weird from this angle. She could feel the motion of Everett's every stride. He was rather impressive, if fear was out of the equation.

"I'm really sorry," he bit his tongue, moving on. He knew a backroad home, fortunately, and was well on it by the time he finally slowed his pace. 

"Okay.. no more people to bother us."

"Mmm." Anja peeked out between the folds of the jacket. It was a struggle not to fall back between the fabric, but she didn't want to pester him.

Shifting his hands around so that he could support her through the thick cloth, Everett chewed his lower lip. "Is that any better?"

"Oh!" She yelped, massive, strong fingers suddenly protruding beneath her. She squirmed, but ended up sliding on the soft cotton and landing perfectly in his clutches. "It's, um.. Whatever."

Another breeze pelted against him, this time bringing a few drops of stinging rain. He hugged his jacket a little closer, his hands wrapping around the bundles..and around Anja. Before he could process what exactly he was doing, he had her against his sternum, the billowing dark green material encompassing her like a blanket.

"Uhm." Anja mumbled in half-hearted protest as a sleeve was scrunched over her head. A tingling sensation arose when she realized she could barely move in this grip even if she wanted to. All she knew was a secure darkness, a soft strength, and a fast-moving body close by. Curiously, she twisted around just a bit to pull some of the hoodie away to reveal the fabric of his shirt. She placed her hand over the button. It was a little bigger than her palm!

"Gaah, I'm sorry!" Voice cracking, Everett reflexively pulled his jacket away from himself. He heard a tiny help, and he blinked, startled to find Anja clinging to the button of his work polo, her body stretched across the new gap he'd made from his jacket to his body. Her feet were lost in the cloak, but he could tell she was having a hard time balancing. Groaning at himself, he brought the apparel back to his torso, drawing one hand out from under to balance the girl's quivering frame.

She was nearly on the point of hyperventilating. What the heck was that? "Sorry!" She uttered, grasping fistfuls of the fabric for dear life. Maybe he didn't like having a tiny girl lean against him. Probably felt weird and unnatural, Anja supposed. To a human.

He nearly choked. "Why are you sorry? I nearly..." Faltering, he quickened his gait again. "Nearly ..dropped you..." He shook his head. "I thought you'd be scared if I held you so close, an-and.." He could speak no more through his twisted tongue, a cool heat running through his cheeks and ears. The young man sealed his lips shut, focusing on the sidewalk as yet another few drops of rain hit his back.

The palm-sized girl was shifted side to side, bumping into his chest every other step. 

"Oh-" Thump. "I thought-" Thump. "I weirded you out or-" thump. "Something..." She stopped trying to talk, instead focusing on not relaxing back against the man, as tempting as it was. She didn't want to risk bothering him.

"No, no, it was my fault," He breathed, feeling her land against his hand at every step he took. "I need to put my jacket on really fast.. um.." Carefully, he stooped down, holding his hand to the ground.

"Surprised you didn't need to sooner." She attempted a cheery tone to make up for how she nearly tripped walking out of his hand. Her head was spinning like crazy.

Another front of wind and rain bore past them, tossing both their heads of hair around. Everett managed to get his hoodie on, and then as the strongest gust he'd felt that night rained down its fury, he quickly cupped his hands around Anja and leaned over her, trying to shield her from the wind that even he was having trouble keeping his balance in - despite the fact that he was kneeling down.

She was certain She was about to be ripped right off her feet. Anja scrunched her eyes shut and cowered ground-ward, whimpers lost in the beating of rain on the sidewalk.The breath left her lungs when she opened her eyes to see an enormous dark mass looming over her. The tiny girl stumbled back instinctually, only to find his hands at her back. She stopped trying to get away when she saw the look on his face- so much closer than it had been before. Mere inches away. 

He's protecting me with his own body...

The torrent of wind finally subsided, and Everett opened his eyes, looking down at her. She looked so frightened and scared... quietly, he drew back. "Are you okay?" He asked, hoping what he had done wasn't too rash.

Those perfect lips formed words, but it took her a moment to process what he had said. She simply nodded, quickly shutting her mouth when she realized her jaw had been hanging open a tad. She tilted her head slightly, tucking back disorderly strands of hair that blocked her view of him. "I-I'm fine. Thanks.... Let's go." She drew her arms closer, glancing down at how his arms literally fenced her in.

"Do you want me to take you somewhere?" Everett hesitantly reached toward her, allowing her to step up onto his hand at the same time he furled the other one around for safe keeping.

"No! I mean, um..." A fearful sternness shook her voice.  Anja took a step backward, only to have her path blocked yet again by an impenetrable wall of fingers. "Look, I'm extremely grateful for what you've done for me, and... I do want to talk to you more. But if you think I'm going to ride around like your little pet, you have another thing coming!" 

She tried to sound threatening, but her voice cracked. 

"N-no, thats not what I meant!" He paled, seeing her mild case of frustration.

 "I meant.. do you have somewhere you need to be? O-or..something.." Everett felt horrible that she had misinterpreted his words. A pet? Who in their right mind would want to contain such a perfect little creature? He shook his head, eyebrows knit together.

Her hair whipped gently around her face as she scrutinized his features suspiciously. 

"You're in luck. I'm free tonight." She finally closed her eyes and held still. "Just grab me already, I don't wanna watch anymore."

As gently as humanely possible, Everett cupped his hands around her, carefully standing up and bringing her level to his chest.

"Wh..where do you want me to take you? Obviously - obviously you don't want to be near me, so..just tell me, and that'll be that." He grimaced as more frigid rain sprayed against him.

She flinched from the icy droplets that invaded her clothing and made goosebumps rise sharply on her flesh. She tilted her head up to make eye contact. "Hey. I didn't say that. But you're freakin' huge, and I'm exhausted and this has been the worst Monday ever. So yeah, I'm a little high-strung." She raised her voice so he could hear her over the occasional breeze. "Take..." Anja steeled her nerves and glanced at her lap before returning her gaze back into those tireless eyes above her. "Take me with you." She was proud that her voice hardly quivered at all that time.

Those words.

The impact they made on his emotions... something sparked in his eyes, and he broke into a huge grin.

"Well...guess you get to see how messy my apartment is," he shrugged, bringing his fingers up a little bit to act as safe fencing for her.

He began to walk forward, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, all of them centerpointed on the miniature girl within his grasp.

A faint echo of His smile graced Anja's face. With every step, she felt the magnitude of her decision ring in her bones. She expected to feel a pit of dread in her stomach... But it never came. Not once the entire trip. In fact, she felt more like an adventurer than a captive. And that gave her courage.