It was strange. I had tumbled down to my lowest point thus far, with my body damaged badly enough to force me into a hospital, along with my crushed heart and soul. Any reasonable person would assume that I would be miserable, full of pain, melancholic, depressed. And yes, those feelings were swimming just under the surface like ravenous beasts, threatening to drag me down into the crushing depths.

Even so, I was tired of crying and being sad all the time. Maybe I had used up all my tears and there was nothing left. Maybe I had grown numb to the gaping abyss in my heart, made worse by recent events. Maybe, isolated from the world in a hospital room, I could ignore everything else going on and imagine my life was different. Whatever the reason, I was feeling strangely optimistic, even hopeful.

It certainly helped that Joey stayed with me the whole time to cheer me up. He doted on my every need, talked to me, and distracted me from my troubles. When I became weary and nodded off, he kept watch over me, giving me peace of mind. He brought me my favorite snacks and drinks and other little gifts. When he got tired, he slept in the giant-sized hospital bed adjacent to my little platform. The doctor helped me heal in body, but Joey was working hard to heal my spirit.

I lost track of time, but I was starting to feel better. Mr. Henderson had not returned to see me, so I assumed he must be preoccupied with other matters. The human doctor and giantess nurse came back to check in on me, removed the heart rate monitor and IV from my arm, and changed my bandages. They had me stand up and walk a few steps, and I was able to do so without incident. They decided I was in a stable enough condition to be discharged, and left to start the paperwork, informing me the process would probably take a couple hours.

As I waited, I gazed over at Joey, who had been passed out on the giant bed during my exam. He was laying on his side, curled up as if he were cold, facing towards me, his features serene in passive slumber. I hopped over the gap between my platform and the bed, steadying myself on the squishy surface. My back was still hurting, but it wasn't on fire like before. I could move around without too much pain.

I was about to call out to him and wake him up, but he looked so peaceful, it seemed a shame to disturb him. He was so cute curled up, his gigantic body rising above me like a living mountain, huge and warm and inviting. I felt a little chilly, and I had a powerful urge to burrow into his chest and soak up his body heat, so this time I didn't hold myself back. I went around his massive arms and hands, past his titanic face, and snuggled up to his colossal torso. He stirred with a soft moan and gently clutched me in his hands, then fell back asleep. His enormous heartbeat and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed filled me with calm. I felt as if Joey would shield me from the terrors of this world and protect me from my demons. Before I knew it I had fallen asleep cuddled up in his hands.

Joey apparently woke up before I did, because next thing I knew he was tenderly nudging me awake with his finger. "Eren," he said softly, his words resonating through his huge chest, "it's time to go." He scooped me up in his hands and lifted me as he pulled himself into a sitting position on the side of the bed. I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I had slept fantastically, since I had been so comfortable.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Rajak asked me. He had a bemused expression, cocking his eyebrow. The nurse snickered, still smiling sweetly. I had judged them earlier, so I didn't mind them judging me right back. It was only fair, after all.

"Yes," I replied. "I feel great." I wasn't lying. Infatuation was a potent concoction. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"No problem," the doctor answered, giving me a casual wave. "Good luck out there. Stay safe." We parted ways and left the hospital, into the darkness of night. The streetlights glowed in the darkness, illuminating the sidewalks and roads. The fresh evening air thrummed with the steady hum of insects and frogs chirping. I laid down in the palm of Joey's hand and gazed up at the stars twinkling in the blackness. The moon stood out as a big, luminous yellow crescent. The lights reflected off of Joey's glasses. His facial features were dramatically defined with the contrast of bright light and shadow. I thought to myself that his face was as lovely as the stars. Especially when he smiled. Right now he was serious and contemplative, lost in thought, and I took advantage of that fact to admire him. I realized I was falling hard for him.

The hospital was within walking distance of the school, at least for a giant like Joey, so before long we were passing through the imposing metal gate to the maze of sidewalks inside. As we got closer to our destination, Joey regarded me while he walked, a thoughtful expression on his face. I stared back at him, unflinching. Neither of us broke eye contact. Joey stopped at the human dorm, continuing to gaze down at me. He slowly raised me up close to his lips, as if he were going to kiss me. My pulse quickened. He hesitated, and his hand quivered almost imperceptibly.

"Goodnight, Eren," he whispered. "I'll be back here in the morning to take you to school." He started to lower his hand, a blush creeping across his cheeks.

"Wait!" I uttered to stop him, gesturing for him to come closer. He brought his face in so I was up to his lips again. I reached up to his face and held his bottom lip in my hands, as best I could, stood up on the tips of my toes, and kissed his upper lip. Joey's blush deepened, and I could feel the heat from his skin increase as he seemed to melt in my hands like butter. He pursed his lips and pressed them against my body in return. His lips were plush and soft and warm, full of love and desire. I shivered with delight at his touch. Once he finished kissing me, he nuzzled me with his nose and I rubbed my face and body against his nose and cheek in return, hugging the bridge of his nose with my arms. His skin was delightfully soft and warm. He gently pulled away and it was my turn to blush. He was divine.

"I couldn't let you go without kissing you goodnight," I teased, holding one of his fingers lovingly in my hands.

"I'm very grateful for that," Joey replied with a satisfied smile. He tenderly stroked my side with his finger and gently lowered me to the pavement. "I'll see you tomorrow." He remained squatted down on his heels until I went inside. As I walked towards the door, I noticed there was a giant padlock bolted to the side of the roof to prevent it from opening. I silently thanked Mr. Henderson for listening to my concerns and finding a solution. I felt much safer now knowing the roof was locked.

After being in a giant room for a couple of days, the dorm scaled down to human size felt nice and cozy. It was late at night, so I prepared to go to sleep right away and crawled into bed. As I laid down, my mind wandered back to the hospital. I thought about the human doctor, who appeared to be happy and satisfied with his position here. If he could make a life for himself here, on the giant side of town, could I do the same? I supposed I didn't have much of a choice. I had come to the realization that my old life was dead to me, and I would never be able to go back, any more than I could climb to the top of the giant wall. The thought was saddening. I hadn't just lost my mother, I had lost my home, all my old friends, and my place in human society. I was stranded out here. I was too tired to dwell on my distressing and depressing thoughts, and soon nodded off.

When the morning arrived, my first action was to check on my wounds, which looked and felt much better. The doctor told me I would be able to shower, and I did so gratefully, washing off all the griminess accumulated from laying around in a hospital bed. Once I was fresh and clean, I dressed in an unsoiled uniform and carefully did my makeup, since I wanted to look presentable for Joey. All ready to go, I shouldered my bag and stepped outside into the beaming rays of the rising sun to wait for Joey.

My knight in shining armor arrived soon enough, and his smile was as bright as the sun. I was awestruck by how handsome he looked. He swept me off my feet, quite literally, by taking me up in his giant hand. I felt like I was floating in the clouds, not just from the power of love but from the glorious height. I was aware, of course, that plenty of human girls like tall boys. While height had never been a serious concern for me, Joey really exceeded all expectations in that department, being a giant and all. I couldn't gauge his exact height but I figured he must be well over a hundred feet tall.

Joey, emboldened by our progress last night, didn't hesitate this time to hold me up to his lips and press them sensually against my small form. I kissed him back, losing myself in his plump, delicious lips, delighting in the pleasurable sensation of being loved. I hadn't felt this way in a long time. Sure, I had kissed other boys in the past, but they didn't adore me like Joey did or treat me nearly as well. Right now, he was my world, my rock of stability in the middle of a torrential storm. I knew I could trust and rely on him to get me through. He finished kissing me and drew away to gaze upon me, his chocolate eyes gleaming in the light.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted me. "Are you ready to face the day?"

"With you at my side, I could take on anything!" I declared, batting my eyes at him.

"Let's take on breakfast to start," he answered wryly, then chuckled. The sound made my heart sing. Joey carried me to the main building, cutting through the grass sparkling with morning dew. When we reached the cafeteria, I noticed right away that something was different, and it wasn't just because I was looking at things from the higher vantage point of Joey's hand. The cafeteria was buzzing with chatter, as always, but when we came in it seemed a lot of focus was centered on us, for some mysterious reason beyond my understanding. Many of the students were openly staring at us as they whispered and gossiped to their friends. The stares followed us as we waited in line, got our food, and went over to Joey's usual secluded corner of the room.

"Hey, Joey," I brought up, "Did something happen while we were gone? Why is everybody staring at us?" I was growing increasingly uncomfortable with all the attention. Lately, it seemed like whenever giants were focused on me, it foreshadowed something ominous, or misfortune was already in motion. The absolute last thing I needed was for somebody to try to hurt me or deliver another blow to my spirit with more bad news.

"I don't know," Joey confessed, "I've been with you this whole time, so I'm as out of the loop as you are." We looked around, puzzled. My eyes connected with the hazel eyes of a female student who lit up with excitement when she saw me. She pulled away from her group of giantess friends and headed towards us. She was short and slim, with strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, tied off with a pink bow. Joey looked nervous at her approach. I couldn't tell if his apprehension was because he knew her personally, or it was his usual skittishness about being around girls in general.

"Oh my gosh! Is that the human that everyone is talking about? So the rumors are true?" she asked. Her voice sounded familiar; I had definitely heard her speak before. But where?