Roomies by ItWasMe

 “And you think you can do that remotely?” he asked. “Without me going to the lab?”

Duncan stood in his makeshift office, flanked on either side by 10-inch tablet screens held in place by their respective tablet stands and displaying graphs, charts, and various corporate statistics. Directly in front of him was a large smartphone stretching horizontally with four inches of space separating either side from the edge of each tablet. The phone was set up to control all three screens because of its reachability.

His focus was solely on that central screen, or rather the man displayed on it. Dr. Reutger Catamaunt, one of the foremost experts on theoretical physics in the world, with PhD’s in multiple fields of science Duncan had never heard of, had reached out to him after Monica set up a meeting between them. However, despite his boss’s assurances, him being a scientist made Duncan feel uneasy.

And right now, that scientist’s eyes were narrowed on Duncan.

“I guess I’ll just have to, won’t I?” he responded. “After all, I wouldn’t want you having to deal with us ‘mad scientist’ types. Noooo, we couldn’t possibly see you as anything other than as some sort of lab rat. Ethics certainly aren’t a thing here, no sir!”

Sitting up on the tiny beanbag chair in the center of his “office,” Duncan subconsciously started rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand.

“Oh, uh, hey,” he said, “I didn’t mean any offense—”

Reutger was quick to cut him off, however.

“Oh, no offense taken on this end!” he said. “You only assumed that we would be blatantly unprofessional and inhumane if we were to ever have you come into the lab. What’s there to be upset about?”

Duncan gave a nervous chuckle.

“Okay, you’re coming in a little hot with the sarcasm,” he said. “I guess I can understand where you’re coming from, though. But also, come on. Even your name sounds a little mad scientisty. I mean, I’m kind of surprised you don’t have a thick German accent to go with it.”

This time, Reutger’s face went blank.

“So now my name and ancestry are the problem?” he asked. “Sarcasm aside, your apologies need some work.”

Duncan rose to his feet, throwing up his hands in surrender.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said. “I swear humor is just my defense mechanism when I’m nervous. It’s … it’s not easy to trust people when you’re my size, so please understa—”

The sound feminine laughter drew Duncan’s attention away from his own words as the bedroom door swung open. Looking over his shoulder and to his left, just past the tablet edge opposite the phone, he could make out Callie as she stepped into the room dressed in a plain gray sweatsuit. She made eye contact with him almost immediately.

“Oh, sorry, gotta go,” she whispered. “I think he’s, like, in a meeting or something. Bye!”

Callie lowered the phone from her ear and tiptoed closer to her desk, which just so happened to be where his office was located. The tremors from her steps lightly caressed his body as she approached. Just how much weight Callie had learned to take off her footsteps over the past few weeks never ceased to amaze him.

Now towering over the tablet to his left, she looked straight down at him as he craned his neck to meet her gaze. Her plush pink-glossed lips mouthed “Sorry” down to him.

“No, it’s fine,” Duncan answered aloud. “I was just video chatting with Dr. Catamaunt, talking things out. So you’re not interrupting work or anything.”

Callie’s face lit up at the mention of the scientist’s name.

“Ooh, Monica was just talking about him,” she said. “Can I see?”

A slight nod was all Callie needed, apparently. Duncan watched as her head lowered to the desk, her right cheek laying on its surface as her smiling face filled most of the background behind him. Strands of her straight blonde hair scattered about the desk, a few strands falling on either side of Duncan and his now vacant seat.

“Hi!” she greeted the man on the screen cheerily. “I’m Callie, Duncan’s roommate. It’s an honor to meet someone so distinguished!”

The startled scientist fell over backward in his chair at the sight of Callie. She gave Duncan a confused look as Reutger flipped his seat back over. Duncan just gave her a shrug and looked back at the screen.

“My God!” he said as he sat back down. “I-I knew you were … diminished, and I had even used items here in the office as a reference for your new size, but to actually see it in comparison to another person …”

 Reutger took a breath to calm himself before continuing.

“I understand your position now,” he said. “Please forgive my rudeness earlier, although I assure you that you would be treated the same as any other person here if you were to—”

Duncan raised his right hand in front of him, with the Reutger taking the hint and cutting himself off.

“I appreciate that, doc,” Duncan said. “Really I do. But I just don’t feel comfortable with that.”

Reutger nodded in response.

“That shouldn’t be a major problem,” he said. “We will, however, need to find a lab tech of some sort, someone who can properly procure, handle, and ship samples taken from you. Once they arrive, assuming they’ve been properly stored for the trip, I should be able to conduct my research from the lab without issue.”

Duncan jumped slightly as Callie’s left hand appeared in the sky above him, lowering itself over the tablet to his left. It came to a rest on its pinkie, palm-side facing him. Her fingers curled halfway around him protectively, splitting her index finger from her middle one, giving him a window from which to view the screen.

“So we have to tell someone else about Duncan?” she asked. “Like, couldn’t I just do that stuff?”

The unease in Callie’s voice was something Duncan found both touching and relatable.

“I’m afraid not,” Reutger answered. “There are some things I’ll need from this lab tech that will require some scientific skill. It doesn’t even need to be someone with a degree, but they should have some scientific background. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the nondisclosure agreement Ms. Shale required me to sign, I won’t be able to send anybody from here, so you’ll need to find this person yourself, Mr. Brenadine.”

 Duncan folded his arms atop Callie’s middle finger as he bent forward. Closing his eyes, he basked in the gentle heat emanating from her hand both below and above him.

Aah, I feel like I’m back on that hotel balcony in Maui watching the sun set all over again, he mused.

With a soft sigh, Duncan reopened his eyes, the stress brought on Reutger’s words exiting his body as he exhaled. His right hand passively rubbed the digit’s smooth ridges as he carefully considered the scientists words.

“Understood,” he said. “We’ll figure something out and get back with you.”

With that settled for the time being, the three of them discussed a few more details about Duncan’s condition, Reutger signed off, leaving the two roomies to themselves.

********

Callie picked her head off of her desk as she watched Duncan walk out of his office space. Her eyes stayed on him as he walked across the top of the desk and toward the shoebox he has been calling home for the past three weeks.

Looking over the shoebox, she couldn't help but admire her handiwork.

Like a tiny modular home, the box was elevated by a pair of pink rectangular erasers lining each corner. The box itself was painted charcoal blue lined with a black roof, with cleanly cut fragments of white curtains visible through the perfectly carved windows on all sides. White-painted stairs and railing made from small, thin blocks of wood led up to the doorway, which itself was a medium gray in color.

But Duncan’s home wasn't the only thing about him that caught Callie's attention.

She couldn’t help but admire his tight little ass in those navy blue shorts as he strode across the smooth wooden surface. Maybe he wouldn’t mind so much if she just reached out and gave it a quick pinch between her forefinger and thumb. You know, as a joke. That’s the kind of joke roommates play on each other, right?

Jesus, Callie! She chastised herself. We’ve been over this. You gotta stop havin’ these thoughts!

Rather than entering his home, Duncan leaned his back against the side of the box facing Callie. He ran his fingers through his short brown hair before crossing his arms over his chest and propping his right foot on the side of the wall behind him as well.

She had to admit that she was impressed with how good he had gotten at using that sliver of razor blade to cut his hair. He looked so good with it cut that short.

His hair! she corrected herself. His hair looked so good cut that short.

Not wanting Duncan to strain his neck staring up at her, Callie sank into a deep crouch, reminding her of her softball days behind the plate. Her head was still well above the desk, and she had to brush her hair behind her ears to keep it from falling on the desk as she tilted her chin down to keep eye contact with her tiny roomie.

“So how was professor dipshit’s class today?” he asked her.

Callie could feel her lips involuntarily curl into a frown. Between her call with Monica and meeting Dr. Catamaunt, she had momentarily put the bad news out of her mind. She wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes before having to face reality once again.

“He’s moving the midterm up. By a lot,” she responded. “It’s on Wednesday now.”

Duncan immediately stopped leaning on the wall of the shoebox, taking a couple of swift steps forward.

“This Wednesday?!” he exclaimed. “That’s in two days! We were supposed to have another couple weeks!”

The weight of hearing someone else say it aloud pulled Callie’s head even lower, leaving her staring at her lanky arms as they criss-crossed across her bent knees.

“I know,” she said. “Even if we cram, I-I don’t think we have enough time to get me caught up on everything.”

The pitter-patter of teeny tiny bare feet brought Callie’s eyes back up to her desk. Duncan was pacing now, the back of his beige shirt trailing behind him as he walked back and forth in front of her, rubbing his chin all the while.

“You’re right,” he spoke after a short while, still pacing. “You’ve actually done a hell of a job taking in the material so far, but there’s just too much left to throw at you in two days. So it looks like we’ll have to do this the easy way.”

Callie blinked a few times as she tried to process what Duncan had just said.

“Easy way?” she queried. “What do you mean the easy way?”

Duncan stopped his march and turned to face Callie.

“Cheat,” he answered. “We’re going to cheat.”

This got a sharp gasp out of Callie.

“Cheat? But I never cheated at anything in my life,” she said, pausing to consider whether she wanted to say what she was thinking. “H-how would we even do it?”

A mischievous smirk crossed Duncan’s face.

“You’re going to sneak me into the exam, and I’m going to tell you the answers,” he said. “It’s pretty simple, really.”

Callie felt a sudden rush of frustration at Duncan’s nonchalant tone.

“Simple?!” she raised her voice. “That sounds so risky! I know we kind of did this when we went to see Monica, that was just with one person in a quiet office. This’ll be, like, a whole roomful of people. Just think of all the shit that could happen to you out there!”

Seeing the cringe on Duncan’s face made Callie immediately regret her outburst, even if she did stand by her point. Before she could apologize, however, he had already started to respond.

“Believe me, I know all about what could happen out there,” he said with just a touch of harshness as he pointed toward her bedroom window. “But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to sit back and let that bastard screw you over like that!”

Stopping to take a deep breath, Duncan relaxed his tone before continuing.

“You don’t deserve any of this, and I can actually do something about it,” he explained. “I’m not afraid to take a little risk for that. So please, let me help you out here.”

While she was still worried about exposing Duncan to such an unpredictable environment, Callie couldn’t help but be touched by his words. She couldn’t find the right words to describe the way it made her feel to see him fight for her like that, in a way that nobody has before.

How could she say no to that?

“Easy way it is, then,” Callie said. “But if we do this, you’re still gonna keep helpin’ me learn the stuff I need to catch up on. Like, I’m not tryin’ to scam my way through class. This is a one time thing. Got it?”

This time, Duncan’s smile was a genuine one.

“Got it,” he said.

 The two of them stared at one another in a moment of comfortable quiet. Feeling a sudden urge to be a bit closer to her little friend, Callie folded her arms, right over left on top of the desk directly in front of her, lowering her chin on her right forearm as she leaned in.

Her knees hit the ground, and she noticed him stumble slightly following the impact, although he kept his feet just fine. She felt only the tiniest bit of guilt as a smug smirk crept across her face, nagging herself to be more careful next time.

As usual, Duncan said nothing about the minor incident, instead opting to break the silence with a question.

“Did Stillwell say why he bumped up the midterm?” he asked. “From what I remember, he’s usually pretty particular when it comes to changing stuff like that.”

Before answering, Callie lazily blew a puff from her mouth to push some stray bangs out of her eyes. She had to suppress a giggle when she saw that the burst of air had caused Duncan to stumble backward a couple steps.

“He didn’t,” she replied after regaining her composure. “But I think it mighta been because of me. His lectures are startin’ to make a little sense, thanks to you, and even though he still … stares at me, I feel more, like, confident now, even when he tries to talk to me. So maybe he picked up on that and is tryin’ to throw me off my game or something?”

While Duncan nodded along with her theory, Callie could tell he wasn’t giving her his full attention. His eyes were locked onto her arms until he realized that she had stopped speaking. He looked up at her, his mouth slightly open before closing itself. It was clear to her that he wanted to say something but was hesitant to do so.

Whether he was trying to be polite or was concerned by what her reaction would be, she didn’t like him feeling as though there were things he couldn’t say to her.

“Out with it already,” Callie chided softly.

It took Duncan two more tries before he finally seemed to find the words he was looking for.

“It’s just … I hate that you let that piece of shit control you like that,” he said.

Callie’s brow furled in confusion, but before she could ask Duncan what he meant, the little man was already speaking once again.

“Shit, that came out wrong,” he said. “I just meant that I don’t like how him being a gross fucking lech makes you feel like you have to dress differently. Does that make sense?”

Looking down at her sleeves, Callie now understood what Duncan meant. A hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants wasn’t an ideal combination for mid-spring, especially not in this area. And obviously he’d know why she was wearing them, given his personal knowledge of her situation with Professor Stillwell.

“Yeah, I get that,” she replied. “Honestly, though, if I had the cash for it, I’d have changed my whole wardrobe by now. Like, I love what’s in my closet, but I gotta make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Now it was Duncan’s turn to wear a confused look.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

Raising her chin from her arm and straightening her back, Callie shrugged her shoulders.

“You know, I gotta do my part, too,” she answered. “Yeah, Stillwell’s, like, a total perv, but it’s not like I did myself any favors wearin’ short skirts and crop tops to his class. Lookin’ back, of course I got on his radar dressin’ like that.”

Callie was surprised to see the stunned expression on Duncan’s face. Was there something wrong with what she said?

“Are you trying to say it’s your fault he’s doing this to you?” he asked.

The blonde shook her head.

“Not entirely,” she said. “Not everybody’s gonna be like him. But if you dress a certain way, you’re gonna attract a certain type of guy, ya know?”

Duncan threw his hands in the air and let them fall into his thighs in an exasperated fashion.

“Uh, not to be mean, but that’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard,” he said. “That ‘certain type of guy’ is going to creep on you no matter what you wear. That’s their fault, not yours!”

Could it really be that simple? There was no way. She had to have done something to bring this on herself. She had to be responsible somehow. All this guilt had to come from somewhere.

“B-but … I—” she stammered.

The agitated, almost angry look on Duncan’s face stopped Callie cold.

“Has he stopped staring at you in class since you started dressing like this?” he asked.

He hadn’t, Callie realized. She had kept herself completely covered for more than a month, yet she had never stopped feeling his eyes on her. Could … could Duncan be right?

“N-no,” she answered, “but, like, maybe he would have never—”

Duncan cut her off once again.

“Nope,” he said. “Some of the girls on the ‘curve list’ dressed a lot more conservative than you do, so it wouldn’t have mattered.”

Callie could see the anger building in Duncan through his aggressive hand gestures as he kept talking.

“And even it would have, fuck that!” he yelled. “Why should you have to change because someone else can’t not be a sick, disgusting fuck?! I mean, you like the way you usually dress, right?”

I do! Callie thought. He’s right! I shouldn’t have to give that up because of some pervert!

Duncan’s rage became contagious as Callie found her sense of guilt swiftly being replaced with anger. Anger at Professor Stillwell. Anger at her parents. Anger at herself. How could she have let herself feel like that? Let others make her feel like that? The realization was as frustrating as it was liberating!

But those feelings faded into the background as she looked back down at Duncan, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Rather than answer his question, she scooped him up in her right hand and raised him level with her glistening eyes. Duncan's muscular butt brushed across her palm as he scooted back toward her thumb, causing her to bite her lower lip to keep in a small moan.

It wasn’t a pinch, but it was satisfying enough. For now.

 “We’ll just call that last question rhetorical then, I guess,” Duncan said.

Those words caught Callie off guard, dragging her thoughts back to the conversation.

“Fuck you,” she awkwardly chuckled. “Also, thank you.”

Duncan took a moment to sit in quiet contemplation in Callie’s hand, his back warming the middle of her thumb, before speaking once more.

“You’re a lot nicer than I am,” he said. “If it were me, I would have found a way to throw that shit back in his face.”

Callie shot her little palm passenger a curious look.

“Like, how?” she asked.

Duncan lowered his head, staring blankly at the other side of Callie’s palm.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just know that I hate it when people try to make me feel like that. Like I’m the problem when I know I’m not. It pisses me off, and I always feel like I have to do something about it. That actually got me into trouble a lot as a kid, but it was worth it, every time.”

Duncan’s words struck Callie deep. That’s exactly how she used to feel, like everything was her fault even when a part of her knew it wasn’t true. Realizing this now left her with a torrent of pent up emotions that suddenly needed release. She wasn’t keen on the getting into trouble part, but “doing something about it” sounded so freeing!

Throw that shit back in his face, huh, she mused.

Staring at Duncan, a particular idea came to mind.

 ********

With the sewing needle overhead clasped in Duncan’s hands as it was secured evenly by the set of rungs on either side of him, his hanging legs were bent and crossed at the shin as he began to sway slightly as he began to make his move up to the salmon ladder’s next level.

The rungs themselves were tiny wooden blocks, each paired together to his left and right to create six levels with roughly a half inch separating each level. The blocks were cut at a slope and angled on an incline to better receive the needle and keep it straight as the climber elevated to each level.

The blocks were held in place by two long, thin wooden poles standing vertically about two inches apart. Below, the poles connected to the points in which two planks laid parallel on the ground met a third plank laid the opposite way that joined them together at their respective midpoints.

Taking a deep breath, Duncan used his growing momentum to his advantage he propelled himself from the second set of rungs to the third level, ignoring the burning pain that seemed to seep into every muscle in his upper body.

I think I’m finally starting to get this down, he assured himself.

Not taking his usual moment to rest between rungs, Duncan pulled himself up and exploded upward from his core and shoulders, both exposed by his lack of a shirt, as he pushed the needle to the next set of rungs before swiftly repeating the process twice more to reach the sixth.

“I did it!” he exclaimed. “Now all I need is a warped wa—”

Duncan felt a pair of eyes watching him, looking over his right shoulder and skyward to find Callie staring at him, an odd look on her face. Sweat raining down from his brow stung his eyes before he could get a good look, however.

“Like, I still can’t believe you had us build that thing,” she said, a slight tremble in her voice.

Adjusting his grip to face the opposite way and shaking the sweat off his face, Duncan was better able to take her in.

He was instantly drawn to the bow of the pink tie up crop top that ended just beneath her breasts, giving him fresh ideas for his Christmas list next year. Before he could pull his eyes away, he couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Even still, her breasts refused to yield to gravity; those pert tears weren’t dropping anytime soon.

Past the miles of immaculate skin covering her exposed torso were a pair of jean shorts cut so high that they would earn a scoff from Daisy Duke herself. From his heightened position, his eyes were able to trail down the acres of leg before the edge of the nightstand upon which his gym was housed cut off his view at mid-shin.

Duncan wasn’t sure if it was the shock at seeing his roommate dressed so scantily or the distraction of his imagination working into overdrive that caused him to release his grip. As he fell, he heard a gasp from above and saw Callie trying to bring her hand down to catch him. He landed on his feet, however, bending his knees as he landed to absorb the impact, though his eyes never left her body.

“Jesus, are you alright?” she asked. “You gotta be more careful!”

Duncan shook off his less-than-pure thoughts at the sound of Callie’s voice.

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said. “I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’ve fallen from higher and been just fine.”

Callie gave Duncan a slight frown before seeming to shrug off the incident.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask your opinion on my outfit,” she said. “Is it too much?”

Too much? Duncan repeated internally. There’s barely anything there. Not that I’m complaining!

“I mean for Professor Stillwell,” Callie said, seemingly reading his mind. “Like, I thought about what you said before, and if he wants me so bad, what better way to throw it in his face than to show him what he’ll never have!”

The idea stunned Duncan. Two days ago they were debating about her wearing winter clothes to a spring class, and today she’s heading to that same class dressed like spring break incarnate. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with her logic or if this would serve as a punishment of sorts for the predatory professor.

But he loved seeing this newfound confidence from her and even felt a little pride in the thought that he may have helped bring it out of her. And if that meant that he had to endure looking at her gorgeous body on full display all day long, so be it!

“It’s perfect,” Duncan said.

Callie’s bright smile melted his heart.

“Yay!” she cheered. “I-I don’t dress like this too much, and I was scared I mighta overdone it. But now that I know I nailed it, I’m so happy! Thanks, Duncan!”

Still smiling, Callie lowered her right hand next to Duncan.

“The midterm is in an hour, and I went ahead and swapped in warm water in your bathroom if you were thinkin’ of gettin’ cleaned up before we head out,” she said. “I can, like, give you a lift, unless you wanna work on your cardio more.”

Without taking time to think about it, Duncan stepped into her waiting hand.

“Nah, I think I’m going to soak a bit, so I suppose I’ll let you save me some time,” he said.

Callie lifted her hand faster than usual, giggling as Duncan fell face first into her palm.

“How nice of you,” she rolled her eyes as she spoke. “Come on, let’s go.”

Duncan couldn’t help but laugh as well, pushing himself back onto his feet for the short and otherwise smooth trip across the bedroom to his shoebox home.

********

Callie was used to getting looked at on her walks to campus but not like this.

From fellow college students to middle-aged men and women, she could feel their eyes on her as she walked past them, her cheeks burning at the attention. Part of her was beginning to think that maybe this wasn’t such a great idea.

At the same time, Callie couldn’t deny how empowering it felt to turn so many heads as she casually walked down the public sidewalks just like any other day. That feeling clashed hard against her embarrassment, but it was one particular reaction that motivated her to keep moving forward.

That look on Duncan’s face when he saw me, she remembered with a haughty smirk as she looked down at her body. Worth it for that alone!

Of course, Callie had little room to talk. He had almost caught her staring when he was absolutely crushing that salmon ladder earlier. Thinking back on those sweat-soaked abs and muscles at work, she was starting to think that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Besides, she wasn’t doing this for Duncan, right? This was about taking control and not letting her gross professor make her feel powerless anymore. Still, Duncan’s reaction, both spoken and unspoken, gave her a much-needed shot of confidence to step out of her comfort zone and pull this off.

Callie gave the purse at her side a few gentle pats, vaguely feeling her little roomie’s form through the leather.

As she rounded a street corner, putting the university in sight, she stopped for a moment as a gray cat approached her from the grass between a pair of houses.

“Hey Bailey!” Callie said to the cat as it rubbed itself against her ankles. “No food from me yet, girl. I’ll try to grab you something after class, ‘kay?”

After petting Bailey for a few minutes, making sure to keep her body between the cat and her purse at all times, she stood back up and resumed her walk. It didn’t take long to reach campus.

Soon Callie was walking past her classroom, heading instead for the nearest bathroom and the first available stall. She set her purse in her lap and unzipped it, peering into the opening to find a slightly disheveled Duncan laying on the opened side of a plastic package of tissues.

So fuckin’ cute! she thought, biting her tongue to make sure she didn’t say it aloud.

“Was the trip over okay?” she asked instead.

Squinting with his hand shielding his eyes from the sudden change in lighting, it took Duncan a second to respond.

“Yeah, no problems here,” he replied.

The answer made Callie’s heart melt. She knew that he hated riding in her purse. He had made that clear after the trip to Monica’s office a few weeks ago, a complaint that registered with her because he rarely complained about anything. So for him to pretend that it didn’t bother him for her sake meant a lot to her.

“Well, let’s get you out of there and all set up,” she said.

And with that, she reached into the purse to collect her new favorite exam aid.

********

The walk back to the lecture hall was a little rocky for Duncan.

Holding on to a few strands of honey-blonde hair, he was able to keep his balance atop Callie’s shoulder near the base of her neck as her steps shook the skin on which he was standing. He could tell that she was walking slowly, trying to be careful as she entered the lecture hall, but he found the ride from his new vantage point significantly less stable than traveling in her hands.

Callie had been concerned about this once she had hidden him away behind her hair, almost backing out of the plan at the last second, but Duncan wasn’t about to let her go it alone like that. He assured her that everything would turn out fine, and he assured himself that he could make do if anything didn’t.

The quaking stopped as she took her seat at the end of the center third of the back row. Only stairs leading down to the front of the class and the distant third to her right were visible as Duncan looked straight ahead with his back pressed against the side of her neck.

He had already adapted to the jasmine scent of Callie’s lightly applied perfume, but the feeling of her pulse beneath his feet, while not enough to unsteady him, was a surprisingly wild sensation to experience. The thumping beneath his feet blended with the thin rays of artificial light slicing through a curtain of hair to give his concealed perch an alien feel.

Duncan turned toward Callie’s front and carefully made his way to the point in which her golden locks touched down against the base of her shoulder, being mindful of the steep slope along the way. Pushing aside the hair on either side like a bead curtain, he looked down at the slide-out desk below to see that the exam and a scantron answer sheet were being set down by her left hand, likely circulated row-by-row by the students themselves.

“Lazy asshole won’t even hand out his own exams,” he muttered.

A sudden jolt thrusted Duncan forward with surprising force, like being in a car crash without wearing a seat belt. His grip tightened on the silky locks he had been holding with his right hand, as his left came up to mimic it.

The toes of his left foot had just managed to tuck themselves into the underside of Callie’s collarbone, leaving his body hanging horizontally as they served as the only thing preventing him from having to swing in order to keep from falling. His right leg bicycle kicked in the air a few times before he was able to hook his other foot onto the collarbone as well.

A relatively small gasp caused Duncan to turn to his left, where he saw Callie frozen mid-nod. It wasn’t hard for him to piece together what had happened. She had heard his grumbling complaint about her professor and wanted to silently express her solidarity with him. He just hadn’t been ready for it, and the power of her neck muscles had nearly bucked him off her.

Callie’s left index finger came for him with careful urgency. Her fingertip gently pushed against his chest, standing him back up in his former position. Even from his limited vantage point beside her face, he could clearly make out her worried expression.

“I’m good. It was an accident, so don’t even worry about it,” Duncan reassured her. “Besides, it could have been way worse: You could have disagreed with me!”

His joke seemed to have hit the mark, as he noticed the anxiety melt from her face, replaced by a small smile.

Duncan decided to get back to the task at hand. His position allowed him a perfect line of sight with the exam sheet yet still kept him hidden as well. Rather than ask Callie if she was ready and risking another cataclysmic response, he read the first question and told her the correct answer. She marked it on the scantron.

From there they were off. He had always been a fast reader, so his answers came almost too quickly for her to write down. It didn’t take long for them to get through the first 35 questions, putting them a third of the way through the exam in a matter of minutes with no incident.

But then there was an incident.

Maybe it was the perfume. Or perhaps it was nerves over the thought of getting caught. It might even have been as simple as a random itch in her nose. But whatever the cause, Callie let loose a sneeze, a nominal act for her but a nearly cataclysmic one for the miniature cheater on her shoulder.

As her body thrust forward with the sneeze, there was no holding on for Duncan. His grip on her hair was ripped away by the force of the sternutation. However, he was able to swing slightly inward before the soft hairs slipped through his fingers, altering his trajectory and most likely saving his life.

Smack!

His fall was a short one, his body colliding hard with the tender flesh of Callie’s right breast with an impact that rang in his ears but was likely barely audible to her. He tumbled forward as his momentum carried him close to the bow he had admired just a little more than an hour before, stopping just short of where her bare skin met the fabric of her top.

“Shit!” Callie shouted.

She covered her mouth as soon as she said it, realizing her mistake right away. Duncan knew it was a heat of the moment slip up, but more attention on them was the last thing that either of them wanted. He had to get out of sight as soon as possible.

Acting on his first thought, he pushed himself forward as he returned to his feet, getting a sprinter’s start toward Callie. The largest opening in her cleavage was at the base, although even that would be somewhat of a squeeze by the look of it.

If Duncan had the time, he might have enjoyed the way each of his steps sunk into the spongy skin along his path. He might have complained about how awkward it was to run on that same wobbly surface, clumsily stumbling to keep his feet under him with each unwieldy stride. He might have even thought to look up and reassure his roommate that he was fine and that everything was going to be okay.

But he didn’t have the time. Instead, he had time to do only one thing as he neared his destination: dive!

And dive he did, his folded hands leading the way as he plunged into the base of Callie’s cleavage. His upper half slipped into the narrow opening, with moisture smelling of sweat and jasmine dampening his shirt, arms, and face.

Damn, she sprayed some of that stuff in here, too? Duncan wondered, a random thought passing through his mind despite the urgency of the moment.

His legs still left exposed to the outside world, he ignored his initial instinct to kick them wildly in the air. Instead bent them so that each of his knees and thighs were pressed into the giving flesh of the breast on either side of him.

Duncan then fanned his arms out and to his sides, his fingers grabbing malleable handfuls of bountiful titflesh as his arms passed by, pulling himself ever downward into the dark abyss. At the same time, he kicked like a frog as the traction from his upper legs helped push him ahead.

With some effort, he fought against the sticky, all-encompassing skin around him as his limbs worked their way into position to repeat the process.

No breaststroke puns, no breaststroke puns, no breaststroke puns, he chided himself as he “swam” deeper and deeper.

By the third stroke, Duncan had gone from dampened to drenched. He didn’t mind, however, as this greatly reduced the resistance posed by the tight squeeze of Callie’s breasts. Another stroke and he realized that he was entirely stashed away in her bosom plenty with room to spare.

He took a minute to slow down and get a feel for his surroundings. He had never simultaneously been so uncomfortable and so at peace. The air was breathable but stale, and personal space was not a thing as metric tons of boob pressed him from all sides, wrapping him in a warm, invasive hug that was just strong enough to make moving difficult.

At the same time, that intrusive flesh surrounding Duncan felt so good against his wet skin, like he was completely enveloped in a blanket of living satin. Then there was Callie’s heartbeat, by far louder than any base drum he had ever heard. It had actually scared him for a second, but once his nerves settled after he realized what the heavy pounding was, he found it to be incredibly soothing.

Of course, there was the fact that he was still upside down.

Duncan decided to correct that before he got lost in the more welcoming aspects of the world within Callie’s cleavage. He briefly curled inward before pushing out with his legs and pulling up with his arms, flipping himself in a way that reminded him of an Olympic swimmer performing a flip turn when reaching one end of the pool.

His slick skin made the maneuver a smooth one, and he continued his momentum as he worked his way back toward the “surface.” Going up proved to be harder than working his way down had been, but he managed by changing his approach.

Duncan pushed up and out with his arms, giving his upper body a little breathing room as he worked. His lower half followed one foot at a time, his legs feeling as though they were stuck in solidified quicksand with each step.

Just as he started to make out the light signaling his exit from the narrow gorge between Callie’s tits, he could just make out a voice. A man’s voice. So he decided to stop and wait for quiet before poking his head out of his hiding place.

********

What’s goin’ on in there?! Callie thought as she gave her cleavage a quick glance.

She knew that her attention was needed elsewhere, but all the squirming between her boobs was hard to ignore. And if she was being honest with herself, she kinda didn’t want to ignore it. Whatever Duncan was doing in there, it felt nice, the gentle tickle of his movements sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

Then there’s that soothing heat coming off his little body, like a heatable plushie straight from the microwave trying to cuddle with her heart!

But Callie needed to focus. Her outburst had drawn the interest of several of those in the lecture hall at the worst possible time. However, it seemed as though she had a few things going her way.

Sitting somewhat isolated from her fellow students had turned out to be a good choice. The closest one to her was the guy who had handed her the exam from the row below her, so even he didn’t have a clear view of her upper chest from his lower position.

Also, Callie’s immodest fashion choices apparently made some students too nervous to look at her. The way they quickly turned their heads away after initially looking to see what set her off made her blush, but she also was thankful that they hadn’t studied her long enough to notice the tiny man that had been running across her chest.

And what an interesting place that tiny man found to hide in! She thought that maybe she should feel angry or embarrassed about him slipping into her tits, but those weren’t the emotions she was experiencing at all. Not only was she responsible for the fact that he had to hide in the first place, but she was also kinda enjoying him being in there.

As that realization made her cheeks grow even redder, Callie found herself wondering if Duncan felt the same.

“Ms. Voss!” Professor Stillwell’s sneering voice echoed through the room. “Would you care to explain the reason for your outburst?”

Callie quickly located the professor. He was still near the bottom of the lecture hall, slowly ascending the stairs toward her. Hearing his voice had broken her reverie, but actually seeing him for the first time since entering the lecture hall brought back that deep pit in the depths of her stomach, with only dread to fill it once more.

I’m so fuckin’ stupid! she thought as she looked down at her clothing. Why did I think this was a good idea? Why can’t I do anything right?!

Two steps later, Callie’s fight or flight instincts kicked in. She hastily slid back the temporary desk and rose to her feet, the backs of her bare thighs pressing into the edge of the seat as she instinctively attempted to backpedal despite the lack of room.

“S-s-sorry!” she said louder than necessary.

Callie was trying to ready herself for Professor Stillwell’s lascivious stare. She was bracing herself for the snide innuendo that was sure to come out of his disgusting mouth. She was even girding herself for him to verbally dress her down in front of the class, as he always seemed to enjoy doing whenever a student gave him the opportunity.

But what she wasn’t prepared for was his slack-jawed silence.

The professor had stopped his climb two steps below her, a stupefied look written all over his face. It looked as though he had opened his mouth to speak, but the words couldn’t force themselves from his throat as he choked on the shock of seeing her so boldly taunting him.

Callie wasn’t sure how to react. She had never seen her perverted, predatory pursuer like this before. She had to admit, it felt good to see him at a loss, but the concern that he would soon simply retake the upper hand with his lingering eyes and creepy veiled comments began to overwhelm her.

Then she remembered that spot of warmth so close to her heart. Duncan had stopped wiggling around by this point, having worked his way shy of reemerging from her cleavage. While she didn’t know if he could hear what was happening, just knowing that he was there, supporting her, was enough to bring her newfound confidence to new heights.

And looking down on the professor from two steps above didn’t hurt, either. Callie was significantly taller than the man when standing beside him, but he looked positively tiny from her elevated position. If he were looking straight ahead, his line of sight would be mid-thigh.

But he wasn’t looking ahead. He was straining his neck to look up as he struggled to make eye contact with her.

Still, Professor Stillwell wasn’t one to relinquish control of a situation easily. He quickly composed himself, trading his surprised expression for one of anger.

However, just as he was about to resume his tirade, Callie’s own angry countenance matched his as she put her hands on her hips and cut him off with his mouth once again hanging open.

“What? I said I was sorry,” she said with venom as she looked down on the man who was significantly shorter than her even without the added height the stairs provided her. “Is that not good enough? Do you need to yell at me in front of the class to feel important? What is this, like, middle school?!”
As Callie stared down at the source of all anxiety and torment she had gone through in the last couple months, she saw something different in Stillwell’s normally creepy glare, something it took her a moment to recognize: fear.

“O-of course not,” he stuttered as he nearly tripped, backing down a step. “I just … I … Carry on!”

Stillwell turned around and stumbled down the stairs in a rush, returning to the built-in desk at the semi-circular hall, where he had watched her while giving so many lectures. Only now, he wasn’t looking at her, instead staring a hole through the desk as he waited for his students to be finished with the exam.

Holy shit! Callie thought. I can’t believe that worked. That I did that.

She was quick to pick up her test papers and pencil from the floor and sit back in her seat. Setting everything back on the slide-out desk, she felt Duncan resume working his way out of her cleavage. After a quick glance around to ensure that no one was watching her, she carefully used her right index and middle fingers to part her breasts.

Duncan’s left arm was the first thing to emerge from the recently widened ravine, setting itself down atop her right breast before being followed by his right. Callie felt the teensiest amount of pressure as those arms pushed down, accompanied by the much more distracting sensation of his body wiggling its way to freedom, fraction of an inch by fraction of an inch.

Removing her hand and letting her breasts gently come down on their tiny guest, she pressed her chin into her clavicle, just above the sternum, as she looked on him with growing concern. The little man had settled in, his body now facing her and exposed up to his lower chest.

The immediate fear of him being discovered and the excitement at finally standing up for herself starting to die down, Callie was starting to worry that he may have hurt himself during his fall. A fall that her carelessness had caused. What if he broke something? What if there’s internal bleeding? What about a concussion? How would they give him medical attention if he needs it?

Duncan seemed to be reading her mind—or the building worry showing all over her face more likely—surprising her with a comforting smile and a thumbs up, letting her know he was just fine. She smiled back, thankful that he had landed on the softest, most pliable part of her body.

That relief was quick to give way to embarrassment, as she blushed at the realization that he was now quite familiar with just how soft and pliable that particular body part was.

Callie lifted her right arm with the intention of fishing Duncan out of her cleavage, unsure whether to put him back on her shoulder or find a safer place to stash him and go it alone for the rest of the exam. He wouldn’t like it, but she really didn’t want to put him at risk again, and she was leaning toward the latter.

However, that decision was put on hold as her hand froze once it was level with the top of her chest. Pulling her little secret out now would run the risk of anyone so much as shooting a glance her way seeing him. Checking around the room, she couldn’t see anyone looking her way, but it would only take a split second for that to change.

Callie stared down at Duncan as he watched her hand hover to his side. His face suddenly lit up as he turned back to her face. He held out a single finger, signaling her to give him a minute.

That’s when he began to twist his body around.

Duncan’s abs, hips and legs gliding over the skin between Callie’s boobs filled her with a unique sense of pleasure. Sure she had been feeling his every move he made since he dove in, but this … this was different. There was just something about seeing him as she felt his little movements that made her feel oddly giddy.

Soon the width of his body went with the line separating her breasts, only for his hips to push against them again, fighting for space as the mounds of inviting flesh reluctantly gave. Once he had done a full 180, facing directly in front of her, he started making his way forward.

Callie could feel Duncan’s legs treading beneath the surface, his puny hands wrinkled the slightest portions of her skin as he pulled himself straight ahead with as much strength as he could muster. Those little legs felt like the world’s softest, shortest fingers exploring one of her most forbidden areas, prodding wildly as he churned them with everything he had.

She couldn’t help but grin smugly at the scene below her. It wasn’t that she enjoyed watching him struggle, but she loved the idea that this one part of her body was giving him such a hard time. He looked exhausted, and he was even halfway across the length of her cleavage.

Callie wasn’t even trying, and her tits were too much for him to handle.

It wasn’t until Duncan had nearly completed his journey that it occurred to her that she could have helped him. She was so busy enjoying his efforts that she hadn’t thought of parting her breasts again or even nudging him along with a finger, either of which would have made things so much easier for him.

While Callie felt guilty about this, she couldn’t say that she regretted leaving him to his struggles. At least, not if she was being honest with herself.

After reaching the outer edge of her cleavage, Duncan again shifted his body, moving to face her left breast as his hips lined up with the tight opening hugging his front and back. He was close enough that he could see over the bow holding her top together, which left her a little worried that he might take a more severe plunge than before, but she decided to trust his judgment.

He peeked down at the exam sheet and looked back up at Callie. Lifting his hands just a bit overhead, he raised three fingers, then six.

What? Callie asked herself before it quickly dawned on her. Oh, he means question 36! Okay.

She gave him a nod to show that she understood, which he returned. His left hand remained in the air, its fingers and thumb forming a letter c, as his right hand smacked her the top of her left boob three times, barely noticeable ripples traveling across the immediate area before dying off as they traveled farther along her skin.

The tiny blows were less painful than even the smallest bug bite Callie could remember, yet they electrified her whole body at the same time. She shivered reflexively at the intensity of her body’s reaction to the little taps. It never ceased to amaze her just how much his touch could affect her.

Three more hits from below brought her attention back to the man between her boobs, who stared up at her with a frustrated look on his face. He aggressively motioned his left hand, still shaped like a c, in her direction as his right index finger pointed down at the exam.

This time, Callie pushed aside the distracting feelings inside her as best she could and focused on what Duncan was telling her. It clicked right away, and she picked up her pencil and pointed it at the answer c for question 37 of the exam, looking to him for confirmation. He answered with a smirk and sarcastic slow clap, making sure to not actually connect on the claps and draw attention to himself.

She shimmied her shoulders, just barely but enough to jiggle her breasts a little. It was hard for her to not giggle as he stopped his clapping to grip the side of her boob to deal with the resulting “earthquake.” Once the shaking subsided, she removed her free hand from under her chest—and Duncan—and lightly booped him on the nose.

He responded with a chuckle and a middle finger, which almost caused Callie to snort.

From there, they resumed the exam, her catching on to Duncan’s new system in almost no time at all. He smacked her breast twice on the next question, and she marked b as the answer after checking with him to ensure she understood.

Soon the two of them didn’t need to look at each other at all, as Callie was marking down answers almost as soon as he finished striking her titflesh each time. They sped through the next 50 or so questions like this. With only a handful of questions left, she noticed a few students getting up to turn in their exams.

She decided that Duncan had helped enough and that potentially getting the last few questions wrong was preferable to him being discovered.

“Got it from here,” she whispered down to him. “Thanks again!”

Before Duncan could protest, Callie’s right index finger was already on him. Touching down on his right shoulder and bicep, it pushed him all the way back through her cleavage before submerging him into what she hoped was a welcoming abyss of femininity.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself from both the emotional and physical enjoyment stuffing him in there had given her, she buckled down and turned her focus back to her exam.

********

 Duncan was still trying to figure out which way was up.

Not that he was in a rush to escape his organic prison. Actually, if he was being honest, he was starting to like it in here, despite the shortcomings he had noted when he first invited himself in. Fresh air and room to move freely were a fine trade-off for the security and care he felt being nuzzled between Callie’s breasts.

No, Duncan was merely trying to reorient himself after Callie so hastily shoved him in there. He wanted to be upset at her treatment of him. He really did. He couldn’t do it, though. He knew she wouldn’t have done something like that without good reason, most likely because someone was about to walk by as he was lost in the fun he was having answering those simple test questions.

Besides, there was something about the fact that she could overpower him so easily with a single finger that he found to be incredibly hot. Not that he was thinking of Callie that way or anything. No sir.

Just as Duncan started pulling himself toward the direction he decided was up, everything around him started shaking violently. He felt himself starting to slide downward as the quakes intensified every few seconds.

Well, at least it looks like I guessed right on where up is, he mused as his feet led the way downward.

As soon as the quaking had begun, it was over. Duncan heard a man’s voice, the same one from before, mumble something inaudible through the twin mountains of flesh surrounding him, and suddenly he knew what had happened.

Callie had finished her exam and gone down the stairs to turn it in. Without a bra to secure her breasts in place, he was more at the mercy of gravity than they were, he realized. And if the way down the steps was that rough, then the way back up was likely to be even more severe.

The only solace Duncan took in his situation was that the voice he heard, Stillwell’s he was pretty sure, sounded defeated. Maybe Callie’s crazy idea had actually worked. While he couldn’t make out the words then, their earlier exchange sounded and felt pretty serious, with her harsh words rumbling through her chest, another experience Duncan had found surprisingly enjoyable.

He felt her on the move again, the rumbling of her first few steps rattling him but not as much as her going down the stairs had. Spreading his limbs out to slow his descent, he slowly tried to climb higher, his forearms and shins rubbing against her skin as they attempted to pull him up despite the quivering environment.

The extra force that came with Callie fighting against gravity did indeed make the ride back up worse. But Duncan was prepared this time, and he battled to hold his position, mostly being successful in doing so. He ended up sinking just a little lower than he had been before, but given how rough the ride had been, he decided to call it a victory.

Now, as her steps were on more even ground, he was able to maintain his place in her tits, even if it was tiring to do so. He only hoped that she would get him out soon. As much as he liked it in here, trying to keep himself from falling from a pair of braless boobies was more trouble than it was worth.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, he thought to himself, but I kind of miss Callie’s purse.

********

Callie made her way out of the lecture hall, feeling Duncan wriggling around in her boobs. Before setting out for the bathroom, an odd thought stopped her in her tracks.

Would Duncan let me carry him around like this again? she wondered. Would it be weird if I asked him?

Callie couldn’t deny that she liked having him in there. A lot. If she was sure he felt the same way, she would have simply walked home with him snuggling between her breasts. But communication was limited during the exam, and she wasn’t sure about his experience, so she took a step toward the bathroom to retrieve him.

“Hey Cal!” a voice yelled over the chatter of the other students in the hallway.

Callie turned around and spotted her friend Brooklyn approaching her through the crowd. They would often see each other at this time after their respective classes in the building but never had time to hang out then, as Brooklyn had another class almost immediately afterward.

“You just get done with your exam?” Brooklyn asked Callie as the pretty brunette stepped in front of the taller blonde.

Callie nodded nervously, eager to find an excuse to get out of the conversation and fish Duncan out.

“Yup,” she answered. “I, uh, was just about to head to bathroom before headin’ out, so …”

Brooklyn straightened out her knee-length blue skirt before looking back up at Callie.

“Hold it,” Brooklyn said. “It’s a short walk back to your place. Keep me company on the way to my next class.”

Callie shook her head.

“Nah, I really gotta g—”

Brooklyn grabbed her arm and started dragging her away.

“Walk with me,” she whined.

Callie was three steps in the direction opposite the bathroom before she relented. Hoping that Duncan would be okay until Brooklyn had to break off for her class, she kept pace with her friend as they began to chat about their circle of friends and swap stories about their respective shifts at their shared workplace.

Throughout their walk, Callie could feel Duncan scrambling around in there. She felt bad and a little concerned, but that satisfied feeling of her body dominating her minuscule roommate without any effort reared its seductive head as well. The thought alone excited her, and actually feeling him fight against the natural movements of her body left her with some seriously mixed feelings.

“Okay, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but what’s with the outfit?” Brooklyn asked, mercifully pulling Callie away from a complex set of emotions.

Callie was initially thankful for the distraction of her friend’s question but soon became mortified when she realized what she had been asked. She hadn’t shared her issues with professor Stillwell with Brooklyn or any of her other friends.  And even if she had, would Brooklyn even understand what she was trying to do.

“I was just making a point,” she mumbled.

Callie could already feel the embarrassment as Brook’s eyes zeroed-in on her breasts.

“I’d say you made two,” Brooklyn countered.

 Looking down, Callie realized that her feelings about Duncan fighting against her tits had made her nipples hard, something that was plainly visible through the material of her top. Without a thought, she slammed her right forearm against her breasts in an effort to hide her shame.

“Hey, it’s no big deal,” Brooklyn tried to comfort her. “I was just giving you a hard time. But you are gonna have to tell me about whoever it is that’s got you so excited sometime. You’re lucky my class is the other way, otherwise I’d get it out of you now!”

With that, Brooklyn waved goodbye as she turned down the adjacent sidewalk heading deeper into campus. Callie said her goodbye and breathed a sigh of relief that she had gotten out of that embarrassing situation. Now all she had to do was find a bathroom or something and get Duncan out of there.

She dropped her right arm from her chest and took a step. It wasn’t until halfway through her next one that she realized that Duncan had fallen out from under her boobs!

 ********

Duncan had started getting used to the rhythm of Callie’s gait when he had been sandwiched hard between his two round, succulent keepers. Once the added pressure was released, he found himself falling through her cleavage entirely. He had managed to briefly grab one end of her top’s bow at the very tip, but the impact of her next step shook his grip loose with ease.

He fell downward and slightly toward Callie’s left, his own sense of left and right in a constant state of flux as he tumbled through the air in free fall. Fortunately, Callie’s left thigh was moving forward in a second step, moving just in time to at least temporarily break his fall, her skin there almost as soft as that of her breasts.

However, Duncan found himself rolling down the steeply angled upper leg, making his date with the hard concrete of the sidewalk still tens of his feet below all but inevitable. Looking around for something, anything that might help him in this situation, he noticed the grass to Callie’s left seemed really close.

Maybe she’s close enough, maybe she’s not, he thought quickly. Either way, it’s better than just going straight and splatting on the sidewalk for sure.

Just before arriving at Callie’s knee, Duncan shoved off against her leg, changing direction and rolling off the side of her leg rather than straight down from her knee. He was facing the sky as he fell, unsure of what kind of surface was awaiting him below.

He was too distracted by the panic on Callie’s face to look over his shoulder and learn his fate early. She was clearly now aware that he wasn’t where she put him. She hadn’t spotted him yet, and he doubted that yelling would be enough to get her attention with all the noise being made by college students traversing the busy sidewalk.

Will she blame herself if I don’t make it? he asked himself. I sure hope not.

Duncan’s fall was partially broken by several blades of grass, which softened his collision with the ground just enough to keep him from serious injury. Not pain, though. He still felt plenty of that, from his right shoulder that met the ground first to his left ankle that seemed to roll itself at some point during his unplanned landing.

He stood up and brushed himself off as he looked back up at his giant roomie, who was frantically searching the sidewalk and screaming at people to watch their step, earning her more than a few odd stares. All he had to do was get close to her body and step in front of her.

Then we can head home, he told himself. Maybe have a good laugh abo—

“Um, excuse you,” a posh voice echoed from above.

Before Duncan could get a good look at the person attached to that voice, a foot housed in a bright yellow flip flop crashed down in front of him, flattening the grass that had just saved his life and coming within inches of doing the same to him.

He saw the girl’s other foot make its way around Callie, finding himself in its shadow for a brief moment before it landed somewhere far behind him. This impatient girl was stepping around Callie, ignoring her pleas in the most uncaring way possible. People like her are exactly why he always steered well clear of sidewalks.

Duncan tried to move out of the way of the girl’s next step, but as the foot in front of him ascended into the heavens, he was clipped by the side of its obnoxious footwear. The collision catapulted him just over the grass for several of his feet and further away from his would-be savior.

He rolled through the grass once again, this time in even more pain. He was facing Callie as she continued to make a scene looking for him. He wanted to get up and make his way to her, but between his time in his gym earlier, his unexpected workout with Callie’s boobs, and the combined pain from falling and being kicked across the yard, he just didn’t have the energy to move anymore.

As his vision started to fade, Duncan couldn’t help but feel as though he had let her down. Watching her desperately search for him, he knew she would think this was her fault. This would probably haunt her for a while, too.

Before he could think too much about that, the ground began to rumble. He was able to roll over just enough to see a pair of white sneakers walking through the grass and heading straight for him. He felt like the odds of him getting stepped on here were pretty good.

This is probably it, he told himself. Look on the bright side, you made it a lot longer than you thought you were going to.

But he didn’t get stepped on. In fact, those shoes stopped right in front of him. As his vision started to black, he saw the pair of jeans feeding out of them start to bend. And as unconsciousness finally took him, he was vaguely aware of fingers wrapping around his tiny body.