Thirty-Seven: Hold Me

The journey home consisted of silence. Tess was not allowed in Austin's car with Darrick, instead having to ride with her mother and Brian, her mother fussing over Tess at every second of the journey like any mother would. Holding her daughter close to her chest and running fingers through the locks of her strawberry blonde hair, Tess felt somewhat comforted by her mother's touch in that moment, knowing she actually cared so much. Tess spent most her days never seeing her mother and to see her so worried made her heart warm, curling into every touch and enjoying the attention she received

Tess didn't want to be anywhere near Austin in that moment, couldn't bare even breathing the same air as the other boy after what he'd said to her at Lennys. Austin had tried to apologise, had quickly rushed to her side to explain but she couldn't listen. Didn't want to see his face or hear what he had to say. Tess couldn't even bring herself to be near Darrick, who had stood nearby to watch over her once she'd left the human hospital, moving to greet her but was instead told by Brian to step back. It made her heart ache seeing the expression that came across Darrick face, frowning as he quietly stepped back away from his tiny girlfriend . Tess had wanted to reach out and tell him it was okay, but was too scared to even look up at him. The thought of giants made her want to curl into a tight ball. Ever since she left that hospital she simply wanted to be with her mother, falling into her arms as if she were ten years old child again and cried into her shoulder. To be with a human is all she craved.

Curling into her mother's arms now in the car, she found herself frowning as she looked at her arm which still ached painfully with every bump the car drove over. Avoiding eye contact with Brian who sat fuming behind the wheel, having called the police station and give them an ear full on when they were arresting and charging Lenny. Tess hid herself against her mother til they arrived home and continued to hold her as was carried into the giant home and up to her house. Brian had come to the decision to move her small house out of Austin's room, where Austin tried to argue that he could be trusted, but was instead ignored as her home was moved to the small downstairs office by the living room. Tess didn't argue, too tired and in pain, actually agreeing with Brian to moving her home to the office, not wanting anything to do with Austin or be anywhere near him for that matter. Let alone live in the same room.

By the time she had arrived home, night had fallen and enveloped the small town in a blanket of darkness. Now placed upon the desk, she saw the porch light was on, and the familiar yellow glow made the house feel warm and inviting after being kept in a cage living like an animal for the past two days. The metal of the doorknob was cool against her palm and she twisted it with ease, entering the well-lit living room of her house and limping inside. An overwhelming warmth spread through her body and she felt like sinking to the ground at the sight of the home before her, never realising how lucky she really had it. Once settled, Brian left to make her food giving her time to relax inside, to gather her thoughts and finally have some peace and quiet by herself.

Tess didn't waste a second to hurry into bed, pulling the covers over her head and curling into a tight ball to hide from the world. Letting her body sink into the softness of the sheet like sitting upon a heavenly cloud. She laid like this til her mother would come up join her for dinner, bringing up bowls of steaming soup to eat inside her human home at the kitchen table for the first time ever. Never seeming to eat in the human home because they'd always had a place at the giant table, where she could imagine Brian and Austin were eating together now.

Tess appreciated the silence as she drank her soup, the food warming her stomach and making her want to fall back to sleep. Each mouthful tasting heavenly. After dinner with her mother, Margaret went to wash up in the human sink since she'd be staying the night in the guest bedroom, while Tess found herself wandering aimlessly to her room, finding herself in the bathroom realising she was craving a shower.

After stripping, she stepped into the shower, her toes flinching as they touched the chilled floor that had been empty of life for so long. Her mind was tattered; every thought bringing her back to Lennys room. She would never get the image of his gaping maw out of her mind, his tongue snaking around her body. She shuddered at the thoughts and turned the dial to allow scalding water to drench her down to her bones, darkening her hair and trickling down her back and legs. Her eyes fell closed, each time showing the images like photographs ... steam began filling the room as she stood still beneath the cascading waters. Tess bathed her skin to try rid the memories, scratching soap over every inch of her skin while also taking careful notice not to touch the bruises that scattered her body and not wet the cast on her arm. Tess leant herself against the cool tiles as her weak knees threatened to buckle beneath her. She couldn't bring herself to cry, not again, instead sinking to the ground to curl into a tight ball, sitting beneath the running waters and staring into the oblivion.

After her shower was finished and she had slumped into bed, she lay there, reliving the moment over and over until she managed to drift into a restless sleep.

~~~

Tess woke up faster than a cat in ice-water, every sense urging her to open her eyes. She felt her body soaked in a cold sweat, breath ragged and eyes darted about the room in fear. It was only a dream, a horrible, terrifying dream. Lenny was gone. Whimpering softly, she found sleep was trying to drag her back to bed and she turned onto her side, trying to block out the thoughts that came to her mind and tried falling back to sleep. Her body craved sleep, but her mind tried to haunt her to stay awake. Tess had no clue what the time was, didn't care either even though light shone through her curtains. She knew she should probably get out of bed, go downstairs and eat something but she didn't dare move. Instead sinking deeper into the comfort of her mattress and hiding her face in her pillows.

But a click of her bedroom door opening made her eyes snap open again, waking to the sound of footsteps that weren't her own. She listens, still, trying to ignore them knowing it must be her mother coming in to check on her. She's moving slowly, as if stopping to stand by the door. Tess squeezed her eyes shut, hoping her mother would just leave her alone. She steps closer but this time Tess recognised this as not being the delicate footsteps of her mother, these were heavy feet like a males which creaked the floor boards that are usually silent.

"Id like to be left alone.." Tess murmured against her pillows, wondering if maybe Jamie had come to visit her. Tess didn't have the strength in herself to talk to him, would probably just burst into tears and become a blubbery mess all over again. When the body didn't make an effort to make a move to leave or even a sound, she let out a low groan and brought her hands to her face to rub at her eyes. Maybe if she ignored him he'd go away.

After a long minute, she only became more annoyed as whoever was in her room simply stood there, not uttering a word or making a move. Letting out a groan she rolled quickly over, pushing back the covers from her body to look at her intruder out of frustration.

"I said I'd like to be left a~" her mouth fell open, jaw unhinging itself from her skull and eyes wider then the full moon. Standing before her wasnt her mother, and definitely wasn't Jamie or any other human she knew. Who or what appeared to be Darrick, stood with his cheeks red and gripping nervously at the back of his head. He looked like a scared puppy, taking a step back as if ready to hide. But that couldn't be Darrick, Darrick was a giant! Tess pushed herself back, pressing herself into the head board of her bed trying to move as far away from this stranger as possible.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she grasped at the blankets around her as if they would protect her in any way. How would she fight this stranger, she had a broken wrist and bruised body. He shifted, looking uneasy as he stepped forward toward her and making her flinch in response. Who was this stranger and why was he in her room!? In the intense silence between the two, she somehow managed to scream with her whole body. Her eyes wide with horror, her fists clenched with blanched knuckles and she scrambled back until she teetered over the edge of her mattress.

The stranger who looked strikingly like Darricks eyes widened and in one fluid motion, she didn't even get the chance to blink, he stepped forward to clamp a large hand over her small mouth. Her heart began hammering loudly in her ears and all she could think about was escaping! Adrenaline pumped into her veins and she all she could think was "Not again" she couldn't let it happen again! She continued to scream into the palm of his hand, thrashing her legs trying to kick him off.

"Tess! Stop it's me! Calm down! You'll get me in trouble" He tried to soothe her, his eyes read he was calm and were dashingly similar to Darricks hazel irises. Tess didn't listen, continuing to kick and thrash trying to escape his grasp, even attempting to sink her teeth into his hand and making him cry out loudly and draw back in pain. His brows furrowed and he quickly tried wrestling her flailing limbs onto the bed, pushing her down gently til she lay flat beneath the palms of his hands and lifted a leg til he was straddling her small form beneath his massive body. His massive thighs were probably as big as her head and his arms as long as her torso, he could probably squash her between his muscular legs.

"Tess! Listen it's me Darrick! Sto-" he didn't get time to finish his sentence, gasping as her hand came free and a slap suddenly stung at his face, the sound loud and relentless. It had been an open-handed smack and left a red welt behind on his cheek, she could see the entire outline of her small hand on his face. Darrick staggered backwards in shock, finally releasing her as he clutched his face. Pulling back he looked toward her in utter astonishment, only to suddenly stumble off the bed as she shoved him away with her feet, followed by a loud bang as his large body hit the ground. A low groan came from the boy from where he'd disappeared over the side of the mattress, in pain from falling. Tess ignored him and quickly clambered to her feet to grab a straightening iron, using it as a somewhat makeshift weapon, she held it before her threateningly meaning to hit him if he came any closer

"W-who are you!" Tess stammered, nearly stumbling over her blanket in her manic panic as she stood over the giant boy that lay before her on her ground. How did he get into her house, how did he manage to get into the giants house! She held the iron wand toward him, ready to swing if he moved to grab her. Why was he so large and why did he look like Darrick!

"Tess~ it's me, Darrick" he groaned and began to sit up, holding his face he looked to her then with wide eyes. Tess pulled back the iron, moving to try and swing at him but he easily dodged her lousy attempt at a head shot. Instead, he lifted his hands to surrender to her, lowering his head as if trying to not freak her out anymore then she was. Tess desperately tried to hide how fearful she was. She couldn't control the tremor in her voice to a degree but she consciously willed her body movements to be less stilted.

"H-how I-is that possible. Darrick is a giant!" She stuttered, looking at him up and down. He looked exactly like Darrick, plump lips and sharp jawline, fluffy black hair and dazzling hazel eyes. He was rather dashing, making her a little nervous realising how handsome he was. But he couldn't be Darrick. It was impossible

"Yeah I am a giant but~ I can also shrink... Tess just, put the iron down and just look at me. I'm not here to hurt you. Just let me explain" Darrick hesitated as he tried to get up, Tess not taking any chances and pointed the iron at him as he began moving slowly onto his feet to stand before her. Tess had to crane her neck up to look at the 7'10" boy, feeling uneasy as she takes a step back, her heart threatening to burst in her rib cage. Darrick offered a small smile down at her, but she glared back up at him, not believing for a second that this was Darrick and that he could shrink. Just a freakishly handsome look alike that had broken in. She stepped back, ready to make a mad dash out of her home, only for her to freeze and her features to soften recognising a red scare on his forehead.

Darrick smiled when he noticed her calm, reaching forward he delicately pried the iron from her hands to set aside "do you believe me now?" He spoke deep, his voice sending a shiver down her spine as he stepped closer, having to bend his neck to look at her.

~~~

Tess couldn't believe her eyes anymore. Looking down the length of her bed she could've sworn he was a hallucination, that she had been somehow fed drugs in the hospital and she had made him up. Maybe she was still in that cage and this was a type of coping mechanism, maybe she hadn't even been saved and she was still crying in a ball.

"Is your arm okay?" He spoke low and soft, his hazel eyes watching her cautiously, having sat in silence ever since she'd finally recognised him. Darrick shifted, bringing his hand to the nape of his neck and rubbed at it slowly as he looked at her.

"It's.. fine" Tess spoke quietly, looking now to her arm, which was beginning to feel itchy in its cast and still throbbed incredibly with a hot pain. He nodded and let his hands fall into his lap, clasping them together and playing with the edge of his jumper.

"I know this must be strange.. " Darrick spoke softly, squeezing his fingers together as he looked at her til his knuckles whitened.

"You think?" Tess's brows furrowed and she shifted in her bed uncomfortably, pulling at her blankets to bring under her chin feeling too exposed even if she were wearing a oversized hoodie and tracksuit pants. No matter the amount of scrubbing, not enough soap seemed to wash away Lenny. Could still feel his tongue all over her skin, his hands holding her chest until she couldn't breath and the throb in her arm never seemed to leave her

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you" Darrick whispered softly and his head lowered where he sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his palms together appearing anxious sitting in her presence. His softness dragged her in and she tried to not melt under his gaze

"It's okay~ it's just a surprise" she spoke softly, "I didn't mean to hit you, I'm sorry" she frowned looking at the red hand print that still glowed red on the side of his cheek. Darrick chuckled at her and finally turned his full attention to her again, he was as breathtaking as ever, smiling over at her with his pearly white teeth and dazzling eyes She felt like she'd just made both of them feel guilty for something that maybe they shouldn't even be angry about in the first place. Her frustration melted away to nothing, her slap and his sudden appearance blowing away like ashes in the wind.

"It's fine, you might be small but your strong, for a human" Darrick chuckled and shifted closer to her, resting his hand on the blanket before him, as if reaching out to her but not wanting to push her boundaries. She wriggled her toes beneath the blankets, his hand only inches away from touching her. He could so easily grab her, throw her around like he had before when hed pinned her beneath his giant body. Her stomach fluttered and she sunk into her pillows, trying to hide her blush at the thoughts of him being on top of her.

Tess couldn't help but smile and found herself kicking back the blanket and crawling forward with her good arm to move hesitantly into his lap, feeling strange and awkward with him being the same size as her. Well not quite, he would be around 7'10" compared to herself and she sat in his lap feeling like a small child on Santa's knee. He smiled down at her, bringing a large hand slowly around her waist to adjust her and pull her close to his chest, moving his hand to rub at her back, slowly massaging at her shoulder blades and making her melt within his touch

"This is very weird.." Tess said softly, looking up from where she rested her head against his warm chest. Moving her hand up, she delicately traced the length of his jawline with her finger, admiring his features now being so close and personal. His hand on her back was warm and luxurious as he grazed them against her soft skin. She could feel his large chest rising and falling against her back, their breaths in unison as they looked to each other.

"Yeah~ I'm so use to holding you in my hand. I didn't realise how small you actually are" Darrick hummed softly, Tess scrunching her nose she playfully punched at his shoulder, making him laugh and pout down at her.

"Shut up, I'm not that small" she smiled as he chuckled down at her, slowly wrapping his arms around her body and engrossing her in his warmth and strong arms. He was all around her, holding her with his arms and not only his hands. Turning in his hold, she moved til she was straddling his lap, wrapping her knees around his hips she moved her arms up til they wrapped around his neck, playing gently at the baby hairs on his neck. Darrick hummed deeply and nuzzles his face into her hair, making her heart flutter as he breathed in deeply. She could feel every muscle of his chest, stretching with every breath. Giants were known to have more muscle, and she could tell as he easily held her within his arms.

He felt like a little touch of heaven in her arms, warm and strong. His arms wrapped right around her waist, so easily as she cuddled up against him. He brought a peace over her entirely, and a feeling she'd never known before, a calming of the storms in her heart. In his strong embrace she began to start to believe that there was nothing out there to fear, that all was sunshine's and rainbows. No Lennys, no cages, just sweet moments like these.

"I'm so glad your okay.. I was so scared I had lost you" he whispered against her, his voice wavering as if he were about to cry whilst burying his large face into the crook of her neck and making her inside turn and twist. His breath tickled at the back of her neck and she had to keep herself from squirming, feeling strange that she could wrap her arms around him, that she could sit in his entire lap, not just one thigh.

"I'm here now" she whispered back, feeling as if she were about to cry but instead was comforted by Darricks touch as they sat together, hugging each other until they were interrupted by a loud knock on the roof. They bother startled at the sound and pulled apart, Tess's eyes growing wide as she let her gaze turn up toward the ceiling. Begging whoever was out there wouldn't open the roof to interrupt them and praying it wasn't Austin. She wouldn't be surprised if it were, he always ruined the moment

"Tess?" A husky voice spoke from beyond the roof, her eyes widening recognising the voice and her heart leapt out of her chest, "it's Jace~ are you okay?"

~~~

Oh my god hope you enjoyed! Even I enjoyed the fluff here wowow!

Story is coming to an end soon, but a second is a work in progress! Thank you for sticking around

Would love to hear what you enjoyed in this chapter! Leave a comment to let me know 🥰