The peppy tunes of vintage pop-rock filled the air. Hall and Oates blasted through Grace’s apartment while she cooked. It was one of their old ‘best of’ albums from 2027, a favourite of her grandmother’s before she passed. The loud music helped settle Grace’s nerves while she stirred the simmering red sauce on the stove.
Besides the saucepan, two servings worth of spaghetti bubbled furiously in their pot. If Grace had timed it right, both the pasta and the sauce would be ready at the same time. Though it wasn’t dinner that had her nerves tingling.
She and Darcy had been going out for about a month now, and tonight would mark their fifth proper date. Ever since Darcy read about Grace’s love of cooking on her dating profile, Darcy had been begging to come over to Grace’s apartment and try her cooking for herself.
Grace cast a glance backward. Past a small, white countertop lay the main space of her apartment. To her left, a wooden table sat near where a glass sliding door opened to a small balcony. Opposite the table lay a plush, burgundy couch facing her TV, which took up most of the wall beside her front door. Just beside the door, sharing a wall with the kitchen, was the bathroom. Opposite from the kitchen lay the door to her bedroom, which she had dutifully made presentable in preparation for tonight, along with the rest of her apartment. Satisfied that she hadn’t missed any random dirty clothes or used mugs, Grace turned back to the stove.
She gave the fragrant sauce a quick stir, drinking in its aroma, settling her nerves. It wasn’t that she worried the dish would turn out bad – she had been following this recipe since she was five. She was worried about how it would turn out compared to what she’d treated Darcy to previously.
Grace had shot herself in the foot by taking Darcy out to some of her favourite restaurants and hole-in-the-wall eateries so quickly. Darcy had loved each one, of course, but now she was worried that her own cooking simply couldn’t compare.
Grace stuck a finger into the simmering mixture, scooping up a taste. The flavours rolled across her tongue, and she released a contented sigh. It was just right. Maybe one of her best. She smiled. The most volatile part of the dish was the pinch of coriander, which would upset the balance of flavours wildly if she used too much or too little. Though tonight – thank god – she’d got it just right.
Turning the stove down to a low heat, Grace stepped away to set up the table. She glanced at the time: 6:27. Darcy should arrive any minute.
Grace rifled through her kitchen drawers, swiftly emerging with the classics: an old red-and-white checkered tablecloth and a tall candle. She quickly set them up, carefully aligning the tablecloth and lighting the candle before placing it down in the centre. Setting out cutlery and a pair of wine glasses completed the arrangement.
The chime of her doorbell rang, just audible above the speaker blaring 80’s classics from the kitchen. Grace spun the volume down to acceptable levels, before hurrying to answer the door. Rushing past the bathroom, she ducked back in to check herself over in the mirror.
Her hair was pulled back for cooking. She tugged out her hair tie, letting her loose black curls hang around her face like curtains. She lightly dabbed at a few beads of sweat on her forehead – drawn out by the heat of the kitchen – careful not to disturb the light layer of makeup that touched up her pale complexion. Finally, she carefully adjusted the layered black dress hanging from her stout frame. It was a lot fancier than her usual, rougher attire, but tonight was a special occasion.
Satisfied with her appearance, Grace moved over to the door, and with a deep breath and a smile, opened it.
There she was. Darcy stood just outside the door, perking up with a grin as their eyes met. Her pale, blue-grey gaze sparkled out of her light, freckled features. Wavy blonde hair bounced about her face as she bobbed up and down on her toes, excited as ever. Tonight she had opted for a simple white blouse and long mauve skirt.
Grace’s smile widened as she took in her girlfriend. “Hi.” She said. Darcy looked stunning, even in the simplest of outfits.
“Hi!” Darcy giggled out in reply. She closed the gap between them with a step over the threshold, and gently leaned in for a kiss.
Grace met Darcy’s lips with her own, letting the world fall away for a blissful moment. Darcy’s lips felt almost supernaturally soft – plush and sweet against Grace’s own. She felt her nerves relax, soothed by the gentle warmth flowing into her skin.
Darcy pulled away with a smile, one that Grace reciprocated. She guided Darcy inside, closing the door behind her as the bright-eyed girl scanned the room with her usual curious wonder.
“You didn’t have any trouble finding my place, I hope?” Grace asked, motioning toward the table as she moved into the kitchen, getting ready to serve.
“Nope!” Darcy chirped, eagerly taking her seat and running her hands over the tablecloth. “The taxis here are something else. I just said the address and the guy took off!”
Grace smiled. Darcy claimed to be from just out of the city, raised in what sounded like a small country town. She constantly marvelled at the idiosyncrasies of the urban sprawl compared to her hometown – the scale of everything seemed to amaze her in particular.
“Oh! Is that-“ Darcy cut herself off, taking a deep breath in through her nose. Her expression lit up. “God, that smells so good! Oh, this is gonna be great.” She was practically vibrating with excitement.
Grace smirked. “It’d better be. It’s been simmering for two hours.” She said, turning the music down further so they could speak easier over the counter.
Darcy eyed the motion curiously. “What’s this song?” She asked with a tilt of her head. “It sounds pretty old.”
“Vintage, technically.” Grace answered. As she carefully portioned out pasta and sauce into concave plates, Grace glanced at her phone screen. “This one’s ‘Maneater’. From the 80’s, I think.” Some fifty odd years ago, if she had to guess. “My grandma loved this band. Whenever you’d go over to her house, there was a good chance she had their music on.” Grace smiled as she put the finishing touches of presentation on the dishes. “This track was always my favourite, actually.”
“Oh?” Darcy watched Grace with an amused look in her eyes. “Any particular reason?”
Grace paused. There was no way. “Uh…” She swallowed. “I… just like the baseline, I guess.”
She did like it, of course – who didn’t? Though there definitely was another reason she had started to like this particular song so much. She sure as hell wasn’t about to tell Darcy though. Not yet. Darcy hadn’t even seen her naked, and Grace wasn’t about to weird out her girlfriend by admitting to one of her many strange fetishes. Not on their fifth date. Darcy’s curiosity seemed to be sated by that answer, anyway. No need to dampen the vibes with an out-of-the-blue confession.
Grace cleared her throat, tossing the thought aside. “Anyway, um. This recipe was one of grandma’s favourites, so I felt like playing the album while I was cooking. Kind of like a tribute, I guess?” She shrugged. Darcy smiled. A soft, warm smile that stood out from her usual bubbly demeanour. Grace blushed, turning away to grab their plates. “Speaking of,” she said, adopting a more formal tone. “For tonight’s dish, I present: Grandma Beth’s Spaghetti and Red Sauce.”
Grace presented the steaming dishes to an increasingly delighted Darcy, setting them down on the table. The pasta was perfectly cooked, smothered in a deluge of fragrant sauce, and topped with a tasteful basil garnish. Darcy almost looked like she’d start drooling.
Grace smiled. She had honestly been taking a bit of a chance with online dating, not expecting much. A few casual hookups at best. Meeting Darcy had flipped her expectations on their head. Darcy was fun, just as exciting as she was excited. Always eager to throw herself into something new, just for the novelty of it. She danced through life with a zeal that Grace couldn’t bring herself to look away from. Grace felt her heart flutter as Darcy greedily drank in the aroma before her, smiling wide.
Grace fetched a fresh bottle of red wine she had been saving from the fridge and presented it to Darcy. “Wine?” She offered.
Darcy’s eyes sparkled. “Ooh~ Which one does the house recommend?” She grinned.
Grace smirked. “She recommends the wine.” She answered, earning a giggle from the cheeky blonde.
Grace carefully poured out two glasses, before settling into her own seat with a sigh. It was nice to get off her feet after cooking for so long. Across from her, Darcy eagerly took a long drag from her glass with a satisfied hum. Grace held back a smile. For someone with such a lithe, athletic build, Darcy could hold her liquor shockingly well.
Grace’s thoughts were interrupted as she caught Darcy glancing between her and her plate, a mischievous look coming over her features. Grace raised an eyebrow in question.
“No meatballs?” Darcy asked. The cheeky look in her eye told Grace the question hid some kind of mischief.
“Nah,” She replied with a shrug. “Grandma always hated them, so they’re not in the recipe.” Grace narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. “Why?” She challenged, taking a slow draw of her wine.
Darcy shrugged, a knowing smile on her face. “No real reason. It’s just when I smelled pasta I wondered if I’d get to see that swallowing trick of yours again.” She grinned.
Grace nearly spat out her wine, earning another giggle from across the table. How did she…? “That- um. I don’t know what you mean…“ She trailed off, blushing. She hadn’t done anything like that around Darcy, had she?
Darcy snickered. “I bet you thought I wasn’t looking, but I totally saw!” She teased. Grace skimmed through her memories of their past dates, trying to remember when she slipped up. Darcy jogged her memory. “Our second date, remember?”
Oh god, she did remember. Grace looked away, hiding her mouth behind the back of her hand as a sheepish blush warmed her cheeks.
At her silence, Darcy continued. “You took me out to brunch at that little café, and got the eggs and toast.” She recited. “Then, when the waiter came around with my pancakes, you sucked down one of your boiled eggs while I was looking away.” Darcy grinned, shifting to catch Grace’s eye.
Grace blushed harder, avoiding eye contact. To be honest, when the eggs came out she hadn’t been able to resist. Swallowing food whole was one of the few ways she could really indulge in her… interests. She’d really thought Darcy hadn’t spotted her. Though with how obviously she was blushing, she could hardly deny it now.
Grace cleared her throat. “Right, well um… It’s, uh, good for digestion, you know?” She mumbled. She really wished any other song was playing right now. “It, uh, keeps the stomach strong as you, uh, get… older.” She said, making the factoid up on the spot.
Luckily, it looked like Darcy bought it. “Really?” She asked, eyebrows raised.
“Yeah.” Grace masked a sigh, relieved. “It’s… just awkward admitting it. People might get the… wrong idea. Is all.” She mumbled, masking her embarrassment with a sip of her wine.
Darcy smiled. “Hey, I don’t judge.” She assured, raising her hands. “I just think it’s cool you can swallow something that big. I figured it was some kind of neat party trick.” The same wonder that drew Grace to her in the first place sparkled in her eyes, and Grace felt her shame trickle away as she matched Darcy’s smile.
The way Darcy looked at her made Grace feel like there was nothing she could say, nothing she could be, that wouldn’t be accepted with that same eager smile. She took a breath, blowing out the last clinging bits of shame from her chest.
Grace settled back in her seat, feeling content. The pasta should have cooled down a little by now, so she gave it a quick stir, settling her spoon in the middle for easy spooling. As she set her left arm flat on the table beside her, she noted with amusement that Darcy carefully followed her same movements. Grace had noticed that Darcy sometimes adopted a ‘monkey-see-monkey-do’ attitude, mimicking Grace’s approach to food. Probably out of some trust that, as a chef, copying her would make the food would taste better. It was cute.
Once her cutlery was arranged similarly, Darcy lay her arm down as well, mirroring Grace. “What’s this for?” She asked, looking bemused. “Is it another tribute sort of thing?”
Confused, Grace paused. “No, I’m just-“ She frowned. Then her eyebrows shot up. Whoops. “Oh, I guess I never mentioned…” She shot a sheepish look toward an increasingly confused Darcy. “It didn’t really come up, is all, and we were out in public all those times, so…” Grace trailed off, unsure how to broach the topic. Occam’s Razor I guess.
Moving her right hand over to her left elbow, Grace pressed three fingers down into the joint in an oft-practiced motion. She held them there a moment as Darcy leaned in, curious. After ten seconds, a series of soft clicks sounded from within, followed by a mechanical hiss as the prosthetic slowly detached itself from her stump. Darcy gasped. Grace pulled back, flexing the muscles in her upper arm as her nerves tingled. On the table, the hissing sound continued as her prosthetic’s air sacs deflated, changing the false limb from matching her proportions back into to its default, slim size.
“Woah…” Darcy murmured as she stared, wide-eyed. She then blushed, pulling back. “Sorry! I- I don’t mean to be weird about it, I mean it’s fine! I just, uh…” She trailed off, sheepish.
Grace smiled. “You’re fine, don’t worry.” She assured. “I kinda forgot to mention it, so I’m sure it’s a bit of a shock.”
“No, not at all!” Darcy insisted, waving a hand as if to brush away her embarrassment. “I just didn’t see it coming, your prosthetic is super lifelike.” She peered forward, inspecting the somewhat desiccated-looking forearm.
Grace nodded. “It’s top-notch, yeah. One of those high-end Orion models they came out with a few years ago.”
Darcy nodded, recognition in her eyes. It wasn’t surprising. The tech giant Orion Industries was well known for their advances in bionics. As well as for branching out into practically every other field of business, as was the usual for companies of its nature.
Darcy’s brow furrowed a little. “Why take it off though?” She asked. “Doesn’t it make it hard to eat?”
Grace shrugged. “Only a little. It’s just pasta. Besides,” She dug her fork into her pre-placed spoon, spooling up a roll of sauce-slick spaghetti. “It’s good to go ‘au naturel’ now and then. Give my nerves a break from the sensors, y’know?”
Darcy nodded, her fascinated gaze still swapping between Grace’s arm and prosthetic. Grace lifted her reel of pasta up to her lips, testing it with her tongue. It was still just a touch too hot, so she set it down as she noticed Darcy still hadn’t touched her food. She was still glancing curiously, too fascinated with the novel revelation to notice the food beneath her nose.
Grace smirked, catching Darcy’s eye. The blonde quickly glanced away with a mumbled apology. Grace’s smile softened, it was hardly out of character for Darcy to be curious about something. Besides, Grace had – if unwittingly – kept it a secret, so she had the right to be curious.
“You may ask.” Grace deigned, in a faux imperious voice. Darcy started, before shrinking back a little with a sheepish grin.
“If you don’t mind…” She murmured, before leaning forward with wide eyes. “What happened?”
Grace glanced down at her stump, recalling her memories. “I got in an accident ten years ago, when I was fifteen.” She began. Darcy’s eyebrows raised. “That summer, my parents took me to Disneyland. The proper one, in California.” Grace grinned to herself, remembering the nasty sunburn she got on their first day there. Darcy nodded along, urging her to continue. “It was a fun time. We ate shit food, went on rides, got creeped out by the animatronics.” She rattled off the activities fondly. Darcy blinked. “My little sister loved it – all those fancy decorations and mascots dancing around. But I was more interested in all the dumb, themed restaurants.” She leaned in, letting the candlelight dance over her features. “And the rides.” Darcy mirrored her, wide eyes rapt with attention. “There was this one coaster – I can’t remember the name – that I went on over and over. It was fast as hell, so teenage me loved it. And, of course, she did the thing everyone does when you love a rollercoaster.” Grace leaned back, lifting one and a half arms over her head in mock excitement.
Darcy gasped, wide-eyed. “You don’t mean-“
“I threw my arms up, then wham.” Grace jolted her left arm back in a vague approximation of the impact. Darcy flinched. “I got hit by some bit of decoration that was hanging too low.” Grace leaned in again, gesturing to the empty space where the rest of her arm would be. “Shattered every bone in my forearm, completely unsalvageable.”
She told the story like some old trophy hunter recounting an animal attack, enjoying the shocked attention it drew from Darcy.
“And then I blacked out.” Grace shrugged, settling back as Darcy let out a breath. “I don’t really remember much after that. They had me in a haze of anaesthetic and painkillers for the next month. All I really remember are some of the crazy fever dreams I had.” She shivered with a wry grin. “For some reason those uncanny human-looking animatronics haunted me until I got better.” She chuckled. “Weird, right?”
Darcy made a loose smile, chuckling nervously. “Hah, yeah…” Her eyes took on a strange cast that Grace couldn’t quite place. Maybe she had gone a little overboard with the story.
“In the end things turned out alright, though.” She said, trying to ease Darcy’s nerves a little. “My dad was a lawyer, and he managed to squeeze over a million bucks out of Disney in a lawsuit.”
Darcy’s eyebrows raised, her fascination returning. “Woah. I’m surprised they didn’t try to settle with you out of court. That must’ve been a PR nightmare for them.” Darcy said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Grace grinned. “Oh, believe me they tried. My dad didn’t let them, he was pissed.” She chuckled. Darcy matched her grin.
“So what did you do with the money? I mean you got a great prosthetic obviously, but you would’ve had some left over, right?” She asked.
“Actually, I got the prosthetic pretty much for free.” Grace said. Darcy’s eyebrows shot up. “Orion was doing this sort of charity outreach program, and offered to cover all the initial expenses for us.” Grace explained. “Not sure what made me so special, but I’m not gonna complain.” She shrugged.
“Huh…” Darcy tilted her head in thought, before her face lit up with recognition. “Oh…!” She giggled. “I bet Orion sought you out cause your accident was caused by Disney.” Now it was Grace’s turn to be confused. Seeing this, Darcy explained. “Orion and Disney have been feuding for like, sixty years or something. I bet Orion swept in to fix you up cause it would make Disney look bad.”
Grace raised her eyebrows. “Orion and Disney have a feud?” She hadn’t heard of it before.
Darcy nodded. “Something about a patent dispute, I think.”
Huh. “Well, they helped my family with the medical costs, so I don’t mind.” Amusement twisted Grace’s mouth into a smile. “To be honest hearing that kinda makes me feel better actually. Fuck Disney.” She smirked.
Darcy giggled, before her brow crinkled. “Wait but then, if you didn’t have to spend money on the prosthetic, then what did your family do with the money you got?” She asked.
Grace smiled. “My parents squirrelled it away in a bank account until I was an adult. I held onto it until I moved out and used most of it to buy this place.” She said gesturing around at her apartment. Darcy’s eyes widened, looking around with a new perspective. “The rest went toward helping my sister through uni.” Grace explained. She leaned forward. “Sometimes when she’s drunk, my mum insists that losing my arm was the best thing to ever happen to our family.” She revealed in a conspiratorial whisper. Darcy covered her mouth in shock, before holding back a smile. Grace grinned, settling back in her seat.
She always had fun telling that story. In part because it helped her process the traumatic events through a dramatic lens – which had helped a lot in the first few years after the accident – but also because it was fun to shock people. Darcy had given her some especially fun reactions.
“I really shouldn’t think that’s funny.” Darcy said with a sheepish grin.
Grace chuckled. “It’s fine. I think so too. To be honest, mum kinda has a point.” She mused. “In today’s economy, trading an arm for a house seems like a pretty good deal.” She said with a wry smile.
Darcy shook her head. “God, I know. I was bored on the drive over and checked out some local real estate online. It’s crazy how much you guys have to pay for houses!”
Grace raised an eyebrow. “’You guys’?”
Darcy froze, eyes wide. “Uh, I mean like, in the city. You city guys. It’s cheaper, where I’m from…” She trailed off, averting her eyes.
“Oh. Yeah, more rural-type places are a lot more affordable.” Grace nodded. Darcy matched the motion, looking oddly relieved.
Darcy glanced around, before her eyes landed on the dish in front of her. “Oh! Dinner should be just right, now!” She stirred her pasta, distributing the now-palatable temperature evenly.
Grace blinked. God, she almost forgot they were having dinner. A soft smile tugged at her cheeks. Darcy might be the only person in the world who could have distracted her from a meal like that.
With a clinking of cutlery, they dug in. Darcy was right, they’d somehow started at just the right temperature. Grace sighed in appreciation as the flavours danced through her mouth. She made sure to toss a mental ‘thank you’ her grandmother’s way, before eagerly going in for more.
As she spooled up her second bite, Grace looked up at Darcy, gauging her girlfriend’s reaction. She not yet seen a food Darcy disliked – other than her self-proclaimed hatred of fish – but she still watched nervously as the blonde slowly worked over her mouthful.
Grace’s stomach dropped. Something was wrong.
Darcy was masking it well, but Grace could see it. The slight crinkle of her nose, and a squint in her eyes. There was something about the dish that had put her off.
Grace swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Everything okay?” She asked, her nerves taught.
Darcy flinched. Only slightly, but Grace caught it. “Y-yeah! It’s great!” She mumbled through a mouthful she hadn’t yet swallowed. “All good over here!” There was an edge to her voice, just hidden behind her usual chipper demeanour.
Grace’s expression crumpled. “No, I can tell. Something’s off.” Darcy averted her gaze. “Did I spice something wrong?”
Darcy shifted in her seat. “No, it’s great. Really.” She insisted, before pausing to swallow. It looked forced. Mouth empty, she continued. “I just wasn’t expecting the coriander, is all.”
Grace’s jaw dropped. A feeling of incompetence washed over her. God, she had completely forgotten to check. “Oh god, you don’t have the soap gene, do you?” She asked, mortified.
Darcy finished a sip of wine, before frowning in confusion. “Soap gene?”
“Y’know, how some people are born with a gene that makes coriander taste like soap?” Grace explained, feeling her heartbeat.
Darcy’s brow furrowed in thought for a moment, before recognition flashed across her features. “Oh! Right. Yeah, I’ve heard of that before.” She nodded. “But don’t worry, it just tastes like coriander to me, no soap.” She offered Grace a smile.
Grace squeezed her fork between thumb and forefinger nervously. “A-are you sure it’s alright? I can always make you something else.” She offered.
Darcy shook her head vigorously. “No, no! Really it’s fine! And you went through so much effort for this!” She insisted.
It warmed Grace’s heart that Darcy cared, but seeing her dissatisfied raked against the chef in Grace’s heart. But Darcy, spooling up another bite, seemed like she wasn’t going to budge.
“If you’re sure…” Grace conceded, a nervous frown on her face. Maybe it was just something Darcy wasn’t used to yet? Grace tried to ease her nerves with further mouthfuls, though through her anxiety, she couldn’t help but mentally pick apart her own cooking. Tasting again, there was a pinch too much salt, and the ingredients hadn’t blended as perfectly as she would’ve liked. And god, the coriander. Tasting again, maybe she did screw it up. She’d been eating this sauce nearly her whole life, maybe she was way more tolerant of coriander than most people? Had she overdone it?
Grace was broken out of her spiralling thoughts as movement across the table caught her eye. Darcy was placing another bite in her mouth, with her spare hand idly on the table. Her fingers were twitching. A well of dread forming in her chest, Grace followed the movement up Darcy’s body. It was subtle, but little muscle spasms were popping up all over her arms.
Grace’s throat tightened. “Darcy?” She said, a creeping panic rising in her chest, crashing into the dread, and swirling into a terrible cocktail. Darcy glanced her way, swallowing a mouthful. “You don’t have any allergies, do you?” Grace asked, her voice trembling.
Darcy looked confused. “No, why?”
Her left eyelid flopped closed.
“Oh.” Darcy felt at her face with not nearly enough concern for the current situation.
Grace flinched, starting to seriously panic now. “I-I think you’re having a reaction. Should I call someone?” She stammered out, quickly dropping her cutlery and placing her stump into the crook of her prosthetic. A few mechanical clicks and hisses sounded as it came back to life.
Darcy waved her hands reassuringly. “No, no I’m okay, really! This, uh, this just happens sometimes.” Grace stared at her incredulously as she stood up from the table. Darcy offered a wobbly smile, nervousness creeping into her voice as she stepped away. “Is it okay if I use your bathroom? I’ll just be a few minutes.”
Grace scanned Darcy up and down. It didn’t seem like her throat was closing – thank god – and this didn’t seem like any allergic reaction Grace had seen before. That knowledge did little to ease her nerves, she fidgeted anxiously as Darcy stepped away. “Darcy, I really think we should call an ambulance or something, this-“
“I’m fine, Grace, really!” Darcy insisted, holding the same nervous smile. “This is normal, I’ll be back in just a minute I promise.”
Grace struggled to believe her, but if Darcy insisted… With a sigh, she relented, easing into her chair as she tried to contain her worries. What part of this was normal?
“A-alright, but I’m right out here if you need anything, okay?” She offered. Darcy nodded, holding the smile. She quickly flitted into Grace’s bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Grace sat there, nervously. She couldn’t stomach to eat any more, not until she knew Darcy was okay. She fidgeted as her mind ran through the possibilities. Was this some kind of rare reaction she hadn’t heard of? Darcy’s limp eye flashed in her mind. God, was Darcy having a stroke? But she had said this was normal, what did that mean?
Grace’s thoughts were cut short as the sound of a collapse thumped against her bathroom tiles.
Her heart leapt into her throat. “Darcy!” She cried out as she shot to her feet. Her chair scraped against tile as she dashed away from the table. She was across the floor in five steps, and threw her bathroom door open in a panic.
Grace froze.
Inside, slumped against the far wall, was Darcy. Her face was… open. Split down the middle and parted to either side of her head. Where her face had been, there was electronics. A sleek, metallic cavity, flashing with tiny buttons and knobs, levers and dials. Red lights flashed out a warning, lighting up something moving frantically in the centre.
Grace’s heart stopped as her mind struggled to grasp what she was looking at. In the centre of the machine, sat a tiny, three-inch-tall Darcy. She was frantic, tapping at buttons and flicking levers, growing increasingly panicked as nothing seemed to respond.
Suddenly, the tiny Darcy froze. With a slow motion, she turned her head up toward Grace, her expression full of dread. They locked eyes.
Grace’s brain did the reasonable thing, and she passed out.
~~~
Ten minutes later, Darcy paced across the room, biting her nails as a slowly fading panic pumped through her.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT.
She’d fucked up big time.
Darcy cast a glance toward Grace, passed out on the couch nearby. She’d hit her head when she fell, but there wasn’t any blood, just a small bump from landing on the carpeted half of the room. Her soft, even breathing continued, so Darcy assumed she was okay. Likely her body was just taking the excuse to rest after cooking for so long. Even so, Darcy was on the verge of freaking out.
She had gotten her shell back online just a minute after Grace fell and had carried the human to the couch after checking that she was okay. Darcy bit her thumb, and swore at herself.
How could she be so reckless? Darcy knew damn well what would happen if she swallowed that pasta, but had brushed it off, thinking she could downplay the shutdown as a nap or drunkenness. She hadn’t expected it to be so immediate. She’d completely freaked out Grace, and worse-
Darcy stopped in place, squeezing her eyes shut. She’d been spotted out of her shell. Grace had looked horrified when she burst in. Darcy started pacing again, her body refusing to stay still.
God, could she really blame Grace for passing out? She had just told her that she was creeped out by robots – tiny pilot notwithstanding. Darcy paused again. They had locked eyes, but had Grace really seen her? What if Grace thought she was just a robot in disguise, and was terrified?
Darcy groaned through a tightened throat, clenching her teeth down on her nails. The false keratin refused to budge under the pressure, drawing out further frustration. The shell was a scientific wonder, but god, it could be inconvenient. She couldn’t even bite her nails properly. And that stupid coriander malfunction stopped her from enjoying Grace’s cooking. She could still taste that bitter soapiness in the back of her throat.
Before Darcy could turn her frustration on the Orion engineers, she was startled out of her thoughts by a murmur from Grace. Darcy spun as Grace stirred to life with a groan. She rose to a seated position, rubbing at her head as her eyes blinked open.
“Grace!” Darcy rushed around the couch to her girlfriend’s side, kneeling in front of her. Darcy checked her over, feeling around for any numbness and scanning over her for anything that might be wrong. “Are you okay? You passed out.” Darcy said, the butterflies in her stomach tickling at her throat.
Grace blinked, her bleary brown eyes eventually settling on Darcy. “I think so…” She mumbled, feeling at her head. Her fingers brushed through her silky black hair, finding the small lump forming at the back of her head, earning a wince. “I think I hit my head, but other than that I’m okay.”
Darcy blew out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god. You were out for a few minutes, I was getting worried. Do you… remember what happened?” She asked, shifting nervously.
Grace stilled, then froze. Her gaze levelled on Darcy, clarity returning to her eyes. She pulled away, her expression shifting into a frown. She stared at Darcy like she was a stranger, a mixture of confusion and apprehension soaking her gaze. It broke Darcy’s heart to be looked at like that, but she tried not to let it show on her face.
“Darcy…” Grace said, her voice wary. “Can you tell me what happened before I passed out?” Her voice was serious, and Darcy could tell it wasn’t so much a question as a demand for explanation.
Darcy swallowed. “I-I’m so sorry, I should have told you sooner. I’m… epileptic.” She lied, desperate that the excuse would hold until she had a better time to explain. “I-I was having a seizure, though not a serious one, so I thought I could-“
“Darcy.” Grace cut her off with a frown. “My sister is epileptic, I know what a seizure looks like.” She said, shattering Darcy’s excuse.
Darcy flinched. Clearly Grace had a better memory of what happened that she’d hoped. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as Grace continued, holding eye contact.
“Darcy, I want you to tell me honestly. What exactly did I just see?” Grace’s tone was serious. Darcy knew she wouldn’t accept anything but the truth.
Darcy took a shaking breath. Grace’s eyes were hard. The soft fondness she usually reserved for Darcy was gone, and in that moment, Darcy felt like she might never get it back.
Her lip trembled as tears pricked at her eyes. It was over. In one stupid decision Darcy had ruined everything. She swallowed a sob. “God, I- I’m sorry.” She croaked out, tears escaping from her eyes. “I wanted to tell you- I was going to tell you, I just-“ She pawed at her eyes with the heels of her palms. “I just didn’t want it to go like this!” Her breath shuddered. She sucked down a deep breath, then another before she spoke again in a small voice. “God, I’ve ruined everything…”
Through tear-blind eyes, Darcy saw Grace’s expression soften. Her posture relaxed somewhat as she leaned forward. Closing her eyes, Grace took a deep breath, before tentatively taking Darcy’s hand in her own.
“Okay…” Grace sighed, before looking Darcy in the eyes. “Let’s start over.”
Darcy blinked a few times, processing her words.
“Clearly… you have something important to tell me.” She said, holding Darcy’s gaze. “So, I’m listening. Let’s pretend like nothing’s happened, and you can tell me whatever you need to tell me. I promise I’ll listen.” Grace offered, giving Darcy’s hand a gentle squeeze.
Darcy’s heart clenched. Grace was too good for her. A few more tears leaked from her eyes as she let the warmth in Grace’s palm flood through her body. Wiping at her eyes, she puffed a few deep breaths, composing herself.
“O-okay.” She nodded. Feeling some of her usual spirit coming back, Darcy rose to her feet, thinking of how she should begin. She paced in a tight circle, before sitting down on the couch beside Grace, taking her hand as the gathered herself. “Okay.”
“Basically,” Darcy started. “I’m not really human.” Grace’s eyebrows shot up. “I-I mean, kind of. I’m essentially human, like, mostly. It’s like that thing with the crabs. Carcinization, I think? But like, with people.” Darcy explained. Grace frowned, looking confused, but nodded for her to continue. Darcy took a breath. “…I’m still …me. You still know me. Mostly. There’s just a lot I didn’t say. So… you’re right, I should start over.” She cleared her throat before regaining eye contact with Grace. “My name is Darcy Williams. I’m seven and a half centimetres tall. I’m twenty-two years old, and I was born and raised in the tiny shelter just outside of town. I’ve been using this shell-“ She paused. “Er, human-sized-robot-suit, to… to go out with you.” She blushed. Grace’s eyes widened with each new fact, a hint of disbelief in her eyes. But still, eventually, she nodded.
Darcy took another deep breath, placing her hands back in her lap. “Promise you won’t freak out?”
Grace nodded.
With nerves tingling up and down her spine, Darcy closed her eyes, and gave the mental command to deactivate the shell.
When she opened her eyes, Darcy was back in her real body in a dark, blinking cockpit. A subtle hiss sounded ahead, and a vertical seam of light opened ahead of her. Slowly, it widened, revealing the world beyond and casting lamplight into the metallic interior.
There sat Grace, eyes wide as the shell’s faceplates clicked into their open position. Darcy swallowed. God, she was massive. With a tentative hand, Darcy removed the control arc from her head, placing the headset-like collection of diodes aside as she stood on nervous legs.
“…This is me.” She said in a small voice, glancing up at Grace nervously. Darcy glanced away. “I’m sorry I kept this from you, I was just-“ She rubbed at her arm awkwardly, curling into herself somewhat. “I just couldn’t find the right time…” She said.
Wordlessly, Grace leaned in close. Darcy shuffled in place nervously as Grace gazed with wonder into her cockpit, her black tresses trickling down her shoulders as she took it all in.
Grace raised a tentative hand, reaching toward Darcy. Her heart seized. Was Grace trying to snatch her? Fear and affection battled for control over her heart before Grace paused. The human blinked as if reconsidering her actions. Her hand flinched back a touch, before turning over, presenting her palm toward Darcy.
“…May I?” Grace asked, her voice a whisper.
Affection triumphed over Darcy’s fears, and a nervous excitement tingled down her limbs. With a slight nod, Darcy carefully stepped down past her controls, over inactive buttons and dials and onto the small set of stairs that lead down to the inside of the shell’s chin.
Grace lowered her palm slightly, forming a bridge with her fingers for Darcy’s convenience. Careful to keep her balance, Darcy placed a step onto the unusually yielding ground, then another. She hadn’t worn shoes out today – why would she have? – so she could feel the minute details of Grace’s fingers as she slowly paced across.
The odd, swirling pattern of her fingerprints, the soft yet persistent body heat that warmed Darcy’s soles with each step, and the thrumming heartbeat that pulsed beneath Grace’s skin. She could feel Grace’s gaze following her with awed attention as she walked.
Finally, Darcy reached the thicker flesh of Grace’s palm. She settled onto her knees, not trusting her feet to keep herself steady. Grace’s warmth was more present here, and Darcy could just smell the faintest scent of her cooking, lingering around her hands.
Slowly, mindful of Darcy’s comfort, Grace raised her upward, close to her face as she gazed upon Darcy with awe. As they met eyes, Darcy’s jaw went slack at the sheer scale of Grace’s beauty. Details she hadn’t picked out from afar, like the tiny flecks of green that glittered in Grace’s brown eyes as they shone down on her. Curls of black hair dangled around Grace’s features as she leaned down to look closer. Darcy even spotted a tiny gap in her front teeth, which she thought was adorable. Her rhythmic breath fluttered over Darcy, dancing through her hair. Even Grace’s smallest unconscious actions had a profound affect at this scale.
God, she was incredible.
Darcy had known it would be like this, of course. But knowing was very different from experiencing. The heat of her skin, the scents carried on her breath, the way she took up nearly everything Darcy could see. Darcy couldn’t look away.
It seemed like Grace felt similarly, her eyes taking in every inch of Darcy with subtle, tiny movements. A little part of Darcy wondered what it must feel like for Grace. Was she as incredible to Grace as Grace was to her? Surely not. Yet, Grace stared on anyway, eyes wide with curious wonder.
Grace blinked, before breaking the enraptured silence. “You’re wearing the same clothes.” She noted, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. Darcy cocked her head, confused. “The same clothes as the robot, I mean.” Grace clarified.
Darcy looked down at herself. Her breezy white blouse and mauve skirt were a little crumpled from piloting the shell, but were still obviously the same outfit. “Yeah…? Why wouldn’t I be?” It seemed like common sense.
Grace shrugged, unintentionally jostling Darcy a little. “I dunno. But if I were in your shoes I’d probably be wearing my pyjamas all day.” She said, grinning in that lazy way Darcy adored. “Also…” Grace peered closer. “Are you… slightly chubbier? Compared to the robot?” She smirked.
Darcy blushed. “Shut up!” She pouted. “You’re the one who keeps taking me out to eat all the time!” She crossed her arms defensively.
Grace chuckled softly, her breath washing over Darcy in beats. Darcy could smell the pasta sauce as it flowed past, kickstarting her appetite. A loud, very embarrassing growl rumbled out from Darcy’s midsection. She blushed, shrinking under Grace’s amused gaze.
Grace smiled. “How about we pick up where we left off?” She suggested. “I’ve got a lot of questions, and I’m sure you don’t want to answer on an empty stomach.”
Darcy smiled through her blush and nodded in assent. She was eager to get a proper taste of Grace’s cooking.
Slowly, Grace rose, leaving the limp shell behind and carrying Darcy with her. Darcy flattened a little on her palm, feeling the air rushing through her hair and clothes. There was an exhilarating rush to the movement, like riding a rollercoaster.
Grace arrived at the table, lowering her palm so Darcy could hop off. Darcy reluctantly left the warmth of Grace’s palm behind, hopping down onto the tablecloth. It’s fuzzy cloth texture tickled at her feet like an old rug.
Grace, moving like a professional waitress – which she was – quickly scooped up both plates. “I’ll just quickly heat these back up a little. Hang tight.”
Darcy nodded as Grace glided into the kitchen, holding both plates high. Her silky black dress rippled around her heavyset frame as she walked, the movement mesmerising at this scale. As she vanished behind the counter, Darcy took the chance to take in her surroundings. It was surreal, like standing on a tiny-sized tabletop at the size of an aphid. Massive human cutlery sat in the distance like discarded construction equipment, and the checkered pattern of the tablecloth was akin to an oversized dance floor. The candle in the centre of the table towered over it all, the blaze at its peak flickering heat down across the strange landscape.
Grace’s voice carried from the kitchen, catching Darcy’s attention. “So, how does a robot eat?” She asked, walking back to the table with freshly steaming plates of pasta. “Cause it wouldn’t need to, right? Does it just fall into a sack that you dump out later or something?” Grace carefully placed each plate back in their places.
“I don’t know exactly how it works, but the shells have some kind of bioreactor where the intestines would be.” Darcy explained, slightly distracted by how Grace loomed over the table. “That way we can still eat while we’re among humans.”
“Huh.”
“Though it does mean we have to properly eat on our own time, since our actual bodies don’t get the nutrients.” Darcy said. The smell of pasta sauce wafted over to her, making her stomach rumble. “That’s why I was always taking home leftovers whenever you took me out.” She grinned.
“Was that your plan for tonight, too?” Grace asked.
Darcy nodded enthusiastically. Grace smiled.
Grace moved to sit, but paused, looking at Darcy’s plate. “Hmm…” She frowned. “That’s… probably way too much pasta for you, huh?”
Darcy giggled. “Just a bit, yeah.” She joked. She skipped forward, stopping at the edge of Grace’s plate. “I’ll just mooch off of your bites, since I don’t have cutlery my size.” She said, staring up at Grace with her best puppy dog eyes.
A slight blush crept over Grace’s cheeks. She snickered. “Sure. And I can give you your plate in a container to take home, if you like.” She grinned. “It’s probably enough food to last you a month.”
Darcy glanced back at her plate. It would definitely last a lot longer than that. She could probably hide herself and like, six other tinies inside that one serving. The thought tickled her brain. A mental image of being swept up in Grace’s meal crept into her mind’s eye. Being tangled up in the noodles, slick with sauce as she was lifted higher and higher… Helplessly drifting closer to Grace’s mouth as she opened wide…
The clink of Grace’s cutlery snapped Darcy out of the thought. She shivered. Where had that come from? And why did it turn her on a little bit?
She shook her head, dismissing the strange feeling. She distracted herself with the movement in front of her. Grace was spooling up a bite of pasta in the centre of her plate. Noodles wrapped together, drawn in from the surroundings like a loom. Or a tornado. Darcy was reminded of an old animated movie her dad liked.
Grace finished twirling, and lifted the boulder of tangled noodles with ease. Carefully, she hovered it over the edge of her plate, offering it toward Darcy. “Here.”
Darcy trot closer with a smile. She leaned forwards, carefully selecting the noodle most covered in sauce, and bit off a mouthful. Flavour exploded across her mouth as she chewed, the wonderful taste once masked by her shell’s defence mechanisms now burst across her tongue freely.
Holy shit…!
Grace hadn’t been kidding. She was an incredible cook.
Darcy let out a squeal of delight as she hastily scarfed down her bite, before leaning in to take another. Above, Grace’s eyes sparkled, lighting up her face.
“You like it?”
“I love it!” Darcy managed through a mouthful of food. God it was heavenly.
Grace beamed. “I’m glad. You really didn’t seem to like it before. What changed?” She asked.
Darcy quickly chewed and swallowed down her mouthful as Grace lifted the rest up for herself. Her mouth engulfed the massive serving with ease as Darcy answered.
“It’s because of the shell.” She said. Grace chewed, listening. “For some reason the bioreactor can’t handle coriander, it sends the whole system into a shutdown.” She explained. Grace’s eyes widened. “So they programmed the taste sensors to make coriander taste like soap, to stop us from eating it.”
Grace’s eyes softened as she swallowed before replying. “You still ate my cooking, even though it tasted like that? And would break your …shell?” She asked, a look of deep appreciation coming over her features.
Darcy shuffled in place. “Of course…” She mumbled. “I mean I knew it must’ve been great underneath the taste, and you put so much work into it…”
Grace smiled.
Darcy glanced away. “And to be honest, I didn’t realise the shutdown would happen so fast. I was hoping I could play it off as being sleepy or something, or just ride it out in the bathroom.” She admitted, sheepish.
Grace looked heartwarmed by the lengths Darcy went to, but before she could voice that feeling, her smile dropped. “Hang on.” She frowned. “What about the soap gene then?” She asked. “In humans I mean. Is that all just a hoax?”
Darcy nodded. “Pretty much.” Grace’s eyes widened. “It’s an excuse we spread to cover up the design flaw.” She explained. “If you’ve ever met someone with the ‘soap gene’, they were probably one of us.”
Grace stared into the middle distance, pondering that. “I knew like, five people in high school with it…” She murmured.
Darcy giggled at her reaction.
Grace cocked her head, her hair bobbing from the motion. “Wait so, how many of you guys are there?” She asked. “You mentioned living in a ‘shelter’ earlier, are there a whole bunch of you living in secret?”
Darcy pondered the question. “Have you seen that old Ghibli movie? Arrietty?” She ventured.
Grace nodded. “With the borrowers? Yeah it’s a classic.” She answered. A second later her eyes widened. Darcy smiled nodding.
“It’s like that. Or, it was. We haven’t lived like that for decades now. No one really calls us ‘borrowers’ anymore, people think it’s outdated.”
Grace nodded, taking it in. “What do you call yourselves now?”
“Tinies.” Darcy shrugged.
Grace raised an eyebrow. “Tinies?”
Darcy nodded.
Grace frowned. “Seems a little… I don’t know, diminutive?”
Darcy snickered at the unintentional pun, but nodded. “We stuck with it because it’s simple, but people have been arguing over it for ages.” She explained. “Some people think it’s offensive or whatever. I did a paper on it at uni. Basically, the reason it’s stuck around so long is because no one can agree on a good replacement.” She recited.
“Huh…” Grace mused, twirling up another bite of pasta. The conversation lulled as she offered it to Darcy, who eagerly snatched off a few mouthfuls before Grace took the rest.
Grace chewed slowly, mulling everything over. Her eyes flickered to the side, and Darcy spotted her casting a glance at the unmoving shell. Darcy noticed the subtle unease in Grace’s frame. Recalling Grace’s mention of the Disney animatronics, Darcy shuffled in place.
“You’re… still scared of robots, aren’t you?” She asked.
Grace winced a little, confirming Darcy’s suspicions. Based on the look on her face, Darcy could tell they both recognised the tension that might breed. “…A little.” Grace admitted, glancing away. “I mean it’s irrational, but… I don’t know, human-looking robots always creep me out.” She looked guilty.
“If it makes you feel any better, it won’t ever move on its own.” Darcy assured. “Without me to turn it on, it’s basically just a statue that looks like me.” She explained.
Grace’s posture softened a little, the tension in her shoulders easing. She glanced back at the shell. Now that Darcy was gone, the face plates had closed, leaving it looking like a sleeping, human-sized Darcy.
“That does help a little.” She said, offering an appreciative look. Darcy smiled in return. Grace’s gaze flicked back toward the shell. “Why’s it called a ‘shell’?” Grace asked, glancing back at Darcy.
Darcy shrugged. “I dunno. I always figured it was a hermit crab reference.” She said. Grace nodded her head to the side, accepting the answer. “I can ask my technician though.” Darcy noted. “He’s been with Orion for years, I’m sure he’d know.”
Grace started at that. “Orion?” She asked, eyes wide. “Orion Industries made your shell?”
Darcy nodded. “It’s a tiny-run company, they make pretty much everything we use. They make the shells, infrastructure for tiny shelters, tiny cars, tiny appliances, all kinds of stuff.” She explained.
Grace’s jaw dropped. “Orion Industries is one of the biggest tech companies on the planet.” She mumbled. “My prosthetic is Orion, hell, my phone.” She frowned toward her mobile, seemingly struggling with the revelation.
Darcy offered a sympathetic smile. All of this was pretty common knowledge for tinies. But it was probably a lot to take in for a human who just learned about them twenty minutes ago. Grace took a long drag of her wine before speaking again.
“How high up does this go?” She asked, brow knitted. “Are there tinies in the government?”
Darcy smiled, rolling her eyes. “You’re not the first person to ask that.” She said. “There are a bunch of human conspiracy theorists that insist there’s some kind of ‘tiny world order’.”
Grace’s eyebrows rose. “Is there?”
“No!” Darcy cackled. “Orion might be big, but it’s not that big. And it’s the only tiny-run company that does stuff in the human world. I’m pretty sure at least.” She said. Grace relaxed, then looked sheepish at the suggestion. Darcy smiled. “The only real ‘agenda’ tiny society has is staying hidden and keeping safe.” She continued. “The only humans that know are some important people at Orion, a handful of government people, and families.” She counted off each addition on her fingers.
Grace raised an eyebrow. “Families?” She asked. “Of tinies, you mean?” She scooped up another bite, offering it to Darcy before the conversation continued.
Darcy nodded. “It’s not super uncommon for humans and tinies to get together.” She explained through a mouthful of food. Grace smiled, earning a blush from Darcy. She cleared her throat. “We- uh, they, can even have kids.”
“How does that work?” Grace asked.
“It depends on the mother.” Darcy recalled. “Tiny mother, tiny baby, and vice versa. Though there can be some exceptions I think.” She cocked her head in recollection. “I’m pretty sure I read about a pair of mixed-size twins once. Though I’m not sure if they were actually real or not.” Darcy said, scrunching her nose in thought.
Grace’s eyebrows raised. “Hopefully the mother was human, or that could’ve gone badly.” She joked.
Darcy snickered at the mental image of a tiny mother, comically ballooned to huge size by a human baby.
“Though,” Grace’s eyebrows furrowed. “That makes me wonder. You and I met online. How do you guys tell tinies and humans apart?”
Darcy blushed. “Well… Technically we have our own dating apps. Just for tinies I mean.” She admitted. Grace raised an eyebrow, an amused look coming over her features. Darcy glanced away. “I would download human dating apps cause I was bored. And curious, I guess.”
Grace smirked. “Oh, Darcy, could it be you have a thing for human girls?” She teased, resting her cheek in her palm as she looked down at Darcy smugly.
Darcy flushed. “N-no!” She protested. “I-I was just bored and wanted to know what humans were like!” She insisted.
Though after experiencing Grace at her natural, tiny size, a little part of Darcy wondered if the human had a point.
Grace chuckled, polishing off the last of her wine. She looked down at Darcy with a warm expression. “Then I’m curious.” She said. Darcy met her eyes. “If you were just on there for fun, what was it about me that made you reach out?” She asked.
Darcy’s face went hot. She glanced away as the million reasons why rushed through her mind. “I mean I liked your profile…” She mumbled, fidgeting nervously. “You seemed funny, and… fun. And you seemed really passionate about cooking, a-and I like food, so…” Darcy trailed off. Grace chuckled, but held her tongue. Darcy swallowed. “S-so I got a shell, and we started going out. And you were even better in person!” She said, her voice rising with her confidence as she started to pace. “You were so cool, and funny. And you knew so much about food! I’d never had such a good time eating before we met! You took me to all these amazing places in the city, places I’d never even heard of before, and you didn’t get fed up with all the dumb questions I had, either!” She rambled, the praise spilling out freely. “A-and I loved the way you dressed, and your cool attitude, and…” Darcy paused, having wandered close to the edge of the table. She looked up at Grace. Into her shining brown-green eyes, sparkling like glass out of her soft features. “…And you were so pretty that I couldn’t not take the chance.” Darcy finished, lost in Grace’s features.
Grace seemed at a loss for words. She beamed down at Darcy, her eyes shining with love. They gazed in silence for several heartbeats, before something else crept into Grace’s eyes, mingling with the affection. Darcy tingled. She felt it too.
Wordlessly, Grace moved a hand behind Darcy, gently scooping her up from behind as she rose from the table. She kept her gaze locked with Darcy’s the whole time, raising her hand close to her face. Darcy’s heart beat with anticipation.
Grace smiled down at Darcy, her lips mere inches from her body as she took slow steps away from the table. “Now that’s just not fair…” She said, her voice quiet. “You could kill a girl with praise like that.”
Ever so gently, Grace pressed her lips down around Darcy’s face in a kiss. Darcy met her lips with her own, melting under Grace’s affection. Her heart leapt. Their first proper kiss. Not electronic sensations translated through a machine, but a real, proper kiss. She commit every detail to memory as Grace’s lips moulded around her. The silky texture of Grace’s inner lip as she pressed down. The overwhelming warmth flowing from her skin. The scent of her breath and the feeling of her heartbeat. Darcy felt like she’d melt into a little puddle. A growing need surfaced between her thighs.
She tried her best to reciprocate, moving her lips against Grace’s before the human broke away. Darcy was breathing hard, and missed the warmth on her face the moment Grace pulled back an inch.
“When I met you,” Grace whispered, her breath flowing over Darcy with every word. “I thought you were the cutest thing in the world.” Grace kissed her again, a quick soft kiss against her torso. “I loved your eyes. The way you looked at the world with so much wonder was enchanting.” Another kiss. “I wanted to take you out, to show you all the wonderful things I loved. Because I knew, somehow, you would love them even more.” Another kiss. “You throw yourself into life with such zest that I can’t look away.” Another kiss. Each flutter of her lips was placed a little differently, and each one brought Darcy’s body temperature a little bit higher. “You.” Kiss. “Are” Kiss. “The cutest.” Kiss. “Girl.” Kiss. “In the world.” Kiss.
Darcy was left gasping for air, overwhelmed in all the best of ways. Through her haze of lust-tinged affection, she watched as Grace pulled away with a smile.
“I think you’re adorable at any size.” She said, gazing down at Darcy with lidded eyes.
Darcy blinked. She’d been so smothered by Grace’s affection that she hadn’t notice their change of location. She looked around, and saw that they were in what looked like Grace’s bedroom. A simple queen-sized bed against the wall, with a set of drawers, lamp, and cupboard arranged neatly. She glanced back toward Grace, and her jaw dropped.
Grace was naked.
Her dress lay discarded on the floor in a heap, leaving her body exposed. Darcy gaped, her eyes greedily drinking in every detail. Grace gave a cheeky grin, adjusting her hand to give Darcy a better look.
Gentle lamplight dusted over Grace’s wide curves, softening them to the point of unreality. Her creamy skin looked as if Darcy could vanish into its cloudy softness, never to be heard from again. The thickness of her limbs, chest, and belly – nurtured by an ample, heathy diet – rolled as she idly shifted her weight. The minute details Darcy could spot at this scale were mesmerising. Grace’s nipples rose to attention, each one bigger than Darcy’s head. Down, past her cavernous navel, lay a patch of unruly black hairs, their curls matching the hair on her head.
Darcy took Grace’s body in, stunned. “H-how did you…?”
Grace smirked. “That dress was practically a slip.” She said. “And,” She leaned in, brushing her lips against Darcy’s ear in a whisper. “I wasn’t wearing any underwear.”
Darcy flushed as she felt Grace’s smile against her body. Grace had been planning on this from the start. A flame of lust ignited inside her chest, feeding the coiling pressure between her legs.
Before Grace could even ask, Darcy stood up and flung her clothes off with abandon. Breathing heavily, she presented herself to Grace with a wide posture. She was ready.
Grace grinned, coiling her fingers around Darcy in a tight grip. Darcy shuddered at the feeling of Grace’s fingers against her skin.
“Hold on tight.” Grace smiled, before leaning sideways, letting herself collapse onto the bed. Darcy squealed as they crashed down into the pillowy mattress. The wind rushing through her hair felt amazing, like sticking your head out of a moving car.
The two of them shared giggles as Grace shifted into a comfortable position against the headboard, propped up by pillows. Her grip eased, letting Darcy lay back in her palm as they held eye contact. Below, Grace’s breasts heaved with the heavy rise and fall of her chest. Her breath washed over Darcy like the tide.
Darcy lay there, waiting impatiently for Grace to continue as the pressure between her legs sought for release. Frustratingly, Grace hesitated.
“Are you sure you’re ok with this?” She asked. Darcy could see the desire written across her features, barely held back by concern. “It might be dangerous for us to-“
“Kiss me again already.” Darcy panted out. She didn’t give a damn about safety, she needed this.
Grace grinned out a sigh, and Darcy watched enrapt as her hesitation crumbled under the waves of her desire.
Grace slammed her lips forward, pinning Darcy against her palm. Lust flared inside of Darcy, as she felt the texture of Grace’s lips on her bare skin. She reciprocated aggressively, kissing back against Grace’s lips with a barrage of sucking and licking. Warmth simmered beneath her skin. She couldn’t get enough.
Grace chuckled, her mouth smiling against Darcy’s body. She pulled back, grinning down at Darcy. “That tickles.” She smiled. “Go easy, cowgirl. You shouldn’t goad me into a pace you can’t handle.” She warned, her voice sultry.
Darcy stuck her tongue out in defiance, taunting the human. Grace grinned back in response.
Grace dove back in, kissing Darcy with a firmer pressure. Despite what she implied, Grace started slow. She gently probed against Darcy’s face with her tongue, sucking lightly around her head with each pass. The slick feeling against her face drove Darcy’s lust higher. From just the simplest of touches, Darcy had been marked. It was intoxicating. Darcy urged Grace on, meeting the human’s trepidation with a rush of affection, mashing herself into the embrace.
It worked, and Grace slowly escalated her affection. She probed deeper with her tongue, eventually prying into Darcy’s mouth with each pass, drowning Darcy in her ministrations. It was almost too much, but the need pulsing through Darcy’s body urged her on. She could feel Grace losing herself to desire as well. Her breath was tinged with moans, and through the haze Darcy could tell Grace was touching herself.
Her kisses came harder, faster. Grace was aggressive with her tongue, slathering Darcy in her saliva. She was sucking on Darcy like candy. Grace broadened her scope, slurping over every little part of Darcy’s body. Not a millimetre left untouched.
Darcy gasped as Grace sucked an entire arm into her mouth, her tongue gliding around the limb with hunger. Eventually she slipped her lips backward over Darcy’s arm, drawing it out slowly with a hum.
Grace kept going, suckling over the rest of Darcy’s limbs, one at a time. Darcy mewled with pleasure when Grace’s lips brushed past her aching womanhood. If she didn’t get a release soon, she was worried she’d combust.
As if reading her thoughts, Grace’s suckling graduated to full-body licks. She drew her tongue up and down Dracy’s body with abandon, groaning with desire as she indulged in Darcy without restraint.
Every pass of Grace’s tongue set Darcy’s skin alight with desire. Heat and tension coiled behind her navel as she drowned under Grace’s affection. Desperate for more, she reached to pleasure herself, but the speed and force of Grace’s licking had her pinned. All she could do was buck her hips, grinding her nethers into the slick, textured surface of the tongue as it passed.
Grace’s body tensed, the ravenous human shuddering out a moan as she leaned backward, pressing into her pillows. Pinned against Grace’s mouth as she was, Darcy pitched forward, her top half dangling into the pit of Grace’s maw.
Grace’s body relaxed a touch, closing her lips around Darcy’s abdomen with a sigh. The pressure coiling around her midsection forced a groan from Darcy, who moaned into the dark, saliva-slick cavern of Grace’s mouth. The air was hot with the human’s breath, filling Darcy’s chest with her warmth. Leaning down, Darcy planted a kiss into the tip of Grace’s tongue.
An appreciative moan vibrated through the shifting, fleshy cavern. With a deft, serpentine motion, Grace slid her tongue forward. The slick muscle squirmed beneath Darcy, squeezing between her body and Grace’s lower lip. Darcy shivered as the rough texture surged along her nipples. It was like being sanded down with the gentlest of papers. Darcy groaned with pleasure.
Grace’s tongue slipped out into the cool air, sliding along Darcy’s squirming lower half. With a gentle, but unstoppable motion, she scooped her tongue between Darcy’s thighs, hooking around her backside. Darcy let out a shuddering cry. Her womanhood, finally receiving direct attention, set ablaze. With a gentle sucking motion, Grace slipped Darcy fully into her mouth.
Surrounded by writhing flesh and bathing in saliva, Darcy lost herself to the sensation. She ground herself against Grace’s tongue with abandon, gripping handfuls of flesh like a vice. Appreciative hums rumbled through Grace’s mouth, the vibrations adding to the indescribable pleasure shooting through Darcy’s body.
Through the lustful haze Darcy was lost in, she recognised a difference in texture. Grace’s tastebuds grew bigger the further back Darcy slid, rubbing against her clit in the best way. She wrenched herself forwards, eventually finding the perfect texture in the centre of Grace’s tongue.
Darcy cried out, her voice swallowed by Grace’s moans as she collapsed forward, embracing Grace’s tongue like a lover as it undulated beneath her. She slid her body back and forth wildly, desperate for release. Just ahead, the dark pit of Grace’s throat pulsed hungrily. Seemingly ignorant of the nuance of Darcy’s personhood.
A tempest of need and pleasure swirled through Darcy, electrifying her nerves as she cried out. The coil of need between her thighs couldn’t wind any tighter. She was about to explode.
A loud moan rumbled through Grace’s mouth. The human was clearly approaching her own release. In a subconscious motion, her tongue slammed into the roof of her mouth as her body tensed. Her ribbed palate pressed into Darcy as she was squeezed on all sides.
The pressure was too much. Darcy writhed, micro-orgasms shaking through her body as she wailed.
“Grace…!” She cried. “I-I‘m yours. Take me. You can have a-all of me…!” She raved, squeezing the words out through full-body convulsions.
Grace’s breathing was growing faster. A quaking moan rocketed up her throat, shuddering her body.
Her grip weak, Darcy jolted forward, shaken by the motion. She gasped as her face hit the back of Grace’s throat. Before she could even think, the greedy tunnel of flesh surged up to meet her. Wrapped on all sides by pulsing flesh, Darcy blinked.
Then, Grace swallowed.
In a single peristaltic motion, Darcy was sucked down Grace’s throat headfirst. A pulse of shock shot through Darcy’s nerves, muffled by her still-unsated desire. Grace’s throat embraced her tightly, rippling around her body in a constant rhythm. All around, Darcy could hear the mechanisms of Grace’s body. Air rushed through Grace’s chest as the human cried out in pleasure, her voice echoing somewhere above.
A heavy rhythmic thumping shook Darcy to her core, growing closer as she was squeezed deeper. Through her daze of swirling emotion, Darcy recognised it as Grace’s heart. The booming heartbeat pounded with such force that Darcy’s own was compelled into submission, matching Grace’s rhythm as she slid past.
Eventually, the tunnel of Grace’s throat narrowed around Darcy’s head. With a grimace, her face was squeezed through a tight knot of muscle. Once she could breathe again, Darcy opened her eyes to the bizarre interior of Grace’s stomach.
Darcy’s body followed suit, squeezed from Grace’s throat like toothpaste before collapsing in a heap upon wrinkled ground. Puffing in the swelteringly humid air, Darcy looked around in abject wonder.
Grace’s stomach was a massive, oozing chamber. Its walls undulated to a silent rhythm, wrinkling into furrows of flesh. The ground beneath Darcy shifted and oscillated, rubbing against her body like a massage chair. The air was muggy with an acrid tinge, and Darcy could taste Grace’s dinner on every breath she took. Pooled at the bottom of the stomach lay the remnants of said meal. A small pond of half-digested food and gastric juices, tinged with red by the sauce and wine.
In spite of everything, Darcy was surprised at how empty Grace’s stomach was. She could still feel her own dinner churning away inside her belly. Grace might’ve been on to something with that digestion hack.
Grace’s heartbeat thrummed through the crumpled stomach lining. Her moaning voice vibrated through the walls of her flesh, overpowering the omnipresent gurgling that shuddered through her gut. Through the noise, Darcy made out a word.
“Darcy…!” Grace cried out. Her muffled voice was tight with arousal. A shiver rattled through her body, shaking Darcy’s surroundings as it passed.
Despite her situation, hearing Grace call her name send Darcy right back into a whirlpool of lust. Feeling the taut coil of need within her, Darcy looked around with a new perspective.
She wasn’t just in a stomach. She was inside of Grace. Sequestered deeper than she’d ever dreamed she’d be. Grace was everything. Everywhere she looked. Grace was the walls undulating around her, the very ground she lay upon. The heartbeat that pulsed through the walls, and the tingled on her skin. Grace was the very air she breathed. It was like she had become a tiny part of the very woman she’d come to love so very much. Hearing Grace cry out her name was the final ingredient in the cocktail of desire that set Darcy’s soul aflame.
Darcy plunged her fingers deep within herself, finally striking at her need directly. She cried out at the pleasure, her eyes rolling back as she curled her fingers against her inner walls. Scrabbling her feet, she pressed herself into the walls of Grace’s stomach as she writhed. As if she could somehow merge with Grace’s own flesh and disappear.
The coil of lust within her grew tighter and tighter, beyond what Darcy had thought was possible. She felt like her skin would burst into flames. Every touch of Grace’s flesh, every breath she took, each one served as a reminder of the most beautiful woman in the world.
Again, Grace called out her name. It was like the final drop of water in a buckling dam, and finally, the coil snapped. Everything came crashing down.
Darcy screamed, pleasure exploding between her thighs. The shockwave shot through her torso and ricocheted off her brain, sending tingling heat all the way down to her digits.
Beyond the stomach walls, Darcy could hear Grace coming with her. The human’s cries vibrated through her body, feeding her pleasure further. She writhed in place, overwhelmed by waves of sensation. Each wave washing over her body was weaker than the last, slowly eroding the knot of lust that had tangled itself behind her navel. Until, at last, she could breathe again.
Darcy went limp, gasping for air as the aftershocks of her release faded. Each breath shook with exertion. That was, by far, the most powerful orgasm she’d had in her life.
Slowly, her mind returned to her, waving away the haze of lust and sensation. Darcy rose into a sitting position, looking around with a more rational perspective. The persistent tingle nipping at her skin was a present reminder of exactly where she was. And what this place was designed to do. A drip of gastric juices oozed down from the ceiling, into the puddle of melted slush below.
“…Oh, shit.”
The moment she spoke, the world around her jolted, tossing Darcy about like a ragdoll as Grace sat up in a panic. Through the tumble, Darcy made out the human’s voice.
“Oh, shit.”
~~~
Grace coughed, spitting out the last of the stomach juices that came up with Darcy. The tiny was laying nearby on a small face cloth by the edge of the sink, panting for air as she stared up at the ceiling of Grace’s bathroom. Discarded beside her was the long strip of dental floss Grace had swallowed to pull her out. Darcy lay there, pupils dilated as she breathed. Her skin had a pinkish hue, and she hadn’t said anything since Grace had fished her out.
Grace swallowed, feeling dread settle in her stomach like a lead weight, filling the space Darcy in just a minute ago.
God, what had she done? Grace bit the inside of her cheek. She had completely lost control, too wrapped up in desire to consider what she was doing. And now she might end up losing her relationship with Darcy forever because she couldn’t restrain herself.
Trembling, Grace inched closer, crouching down until Darcy was at her eye level, trying to feel as nonthreatening as possible.
“…Darcy?” Grace asked, her voice low and shaky. “Are you okay…?”
The tiny didn’t respond. Guilt flooded Grace’s heart.
“God, Darcy I- I’m so sorry...” She said, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. “I shouldn’t’ve- I didn’t-“ Grace winced. “I was stupid, a-and reckless. God, I knew it was a bad idea… I-I shouldn’t been so careless with you, and now I’ve fucked it all up between us.” She said, knocking her forehead against the counter. Grace glanced up with fearful eyes. “I know you’re upset but please, just say something…” She begged.
Finally, Darcy stirred. Grace held her breath as the tiny spoke.
“I…” Darcy said.
Grace’s mind filled in her pause with a dozen venomous rebukes, terrified of what she’d say next.
Darcy’s expression brightened. “I think I really might be in love.”
Grace blinked. “…What?”
A squealing laughter tumbled out of Darcy’s chest. The tiny leapt to her feet, looking ecstatic.
“Oh, my god that was incredible!” She cried, jumping in place. “God, it was everything. The inside of your mouth felt so good! And your stomach was so weird! “ She raved. “I’d never even thought about doing something like that before! It was crazy to be that deep inside you and-“ She cut herself off with a groan. “God, I’ve never come that hard in my life!” She beamed up at Grace with a manic energy.
Grace took a shaking step away, horrified. She’d broken Darcy. Snapped her little mind in two with some kind of fucked up Stockholm syndrome.
“Oh, god…” She husked, running a shaky hand through her hair. “Oh god I broke you.”
Darcy cocked her head with a bemused smile, before her expression slowly dimmed, recognising Grace’s distress. She took a breath, calming her demeanour before she stepped forward with a gentle smile.
“I’m okay. Grace” She assured, waving a beckoning hand. “Come back down.” She urged.
Her mind swirling, Grace settled back down, holding her chin just above the countertop as Darcy stepped close. The tiny placed her hands on the bridge of Grace’s nose, holding eye contact as she continued.
“I’m fine, you didn’t break me.” She insisted. Darcy’s face broke into a wide grin. “I was being serious, I had a great time.” She blushed. “I totally get how you lost control, I did too. But like, I’m completely unharmed, and I had fun! So who cares?” She shrugged. A thought crossed behind her eyes, and she cocked her head as her inevitable curiosity returned. “Though, how am I totally unharmed? Aren’t stomachs supposed to be full of acid? Is yours unique or something?”
Grace was stunned. “…Human stomach acid is pretty diluted…” She mumbled. “It’s not really designed to handle unchewed food…” She recited numbly. Darcy nodded, her mouth forming an ‘o’ shape.
Darcy continued rambling on, though Grace wasn’t really there. Grace was lost in her own mind, reeling in disbelief. How could Darcy be so unbothered by this? Grace had crossed a line, swallowed her whole! How could she go through all that and somehow come out loving Grace more than she did before?
Grace’s thoughts continued to swirl, before a particular branch of Darcy’s rambling snapped her attention to focus.
“You’re into vore, aren’t you?” Darcy asked with a smug look.
Grace jolted in place, shocked. As if tonight couldn’t get any worse. Darcy grinned, and Grace knew her reaction to the question had given away the answer.
“N-no, I don’t- Uh. I don’t know what that is…” She lied, hiding her face below the counter.
“Aw, c’mon. Yes you do!” Darcy urged, grinning. “C’mon, I shared my big secret!”
Grace raised her gaze again, meeting Darcy’s eyes. Her face was burning hot from embarrassment.
“H-how do you even know about stuff like that…?” Grace stammered. So much for keeping her kinks a secret.
Darcy shrugged, amused. “I’ve been bored on the internet, Grace. Of course I know what vore is.” She giggled. “And swallowing me by accident I could understand. But having a mind-blowing orgasm with me in your stomach instead of freaking out right away?” Darcy grinned at Grace’s crumpled expression. “It’s kind of obvious.”
Grace cringed. “L-look I didn’t plan to… I-I mean, I didn’t know that it was even possible until-”
“Ooh! Ooh!” Darcy cut her off. “Do you like that funny same-size stuff too? Like with the big bellies?” She asked, looking equal parts amused and interested.
Grace buried her face in her hands. The cool skin of her palms sapped at the burning shame she felt in her cheeks.
“…Yes…” She mumbled, earning a cackling giggle from Darcy.
This was all too much. She hadn’t even been able to process that Darcy didn’t hate her, and now she was revealing secrets she’d never spoken to another living soul. Not even her sister, and lord knows that girl had some strange interests.
Seeing the conflict in Grace’s eyes, Darcy eased off, containing herself as she caught Grace’s eye with a sheepish look.
“Sorry.” She said. “I’m not trying to shame you” Darcy assured with a smile.
Grace let out a sigh. “I know, it’s not that.” She said, averting her eyes. “It’s just…” She grimaced. “I crossed a line, I shouldn’t’ve been so rough with you like that. What if you got hurt?” She said, digging her nails into the back of her neck.
Darcy’s smile softened. “Pick me up again?”
Grace wasn’t exactly eager to be holding Darcy’s life in her hands again, but she couldn’t say no to that face.
Gently, and very slowly, Grace scooped her hand behind Darcy. The tiny sat, dangling her legs over the edge of Grace’s palm with an eager expression. It was still surreal to hold such a tiny life in her hands. Darcy was a little heavier than she looked, which combined with the warmth of her skin and her subtle heartbeat, gave her a sense of vibrant reality that felt more precious than gold.
Carefully, Grace lifted her up a couple inches above the counter, waiting for Darcy to continue.
The tiny giggled. “Lift me higher! I want to be close to you.” She insisted.
Grace nervously complied, lifting Darcy closer to her face in increments, each one urged on by the amused tiny.
Eventually, Darcy sat half an inch away from Grace’s face. Grace almost expected Darcy to ask to move closer again, before the tiny leaned forward and placed a gentle peck on her cheek.
Grace flushed, her heartbeat fluttering with anxiety and affection. Darcy smiled, scooching back to look her in the eyes.
“Grace. I love you.” She said, holding Grace’s gaze. “If I had wanted it to stop, I would’ve said something. You weren’t too rough with me at all.” Darcy insisted. She grinned. “Honestly, I don’t think you’re even capable of hurting me. I mean I was only in your stomach for a few minutes and you’re already this upset.” Her face softened. “And I think it’s sweet, but I don’t want to see you beating yourself up like that.”
Grace exhaled, trying to blow out the tension in her chest. “I love you too.” She said, mustering a smile. “I just, freaked out once the adrenaline wore off, I guess.” She scanned over Darcy, looking for any bruises. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Darcy beamed. “I’m fine, really.” She glanced down at herself. “A little pink, maybe.” She snickered. Grace smiled. “And c’mon. You’ve gotta admit that it was hot.” She grinned, batting her eyelashes up at Grace.
Grace blushed. “…Maybe just a little.” She said. With Darcy easing her worries, Grace’s memories simmered with the bubbling lust that she had felt in the moment.
Darcy giggled, trailing a finger through the grooves of Grace’s palm. “Speaking of hot…” She smiled, looking up at Grace with sultry eyes. “I’m getting pretty cold out here with no clothes on.” She gave an exaggerated pout. “I was nice and warm when you squeezed me down your throat.” She smiled at the blush that came over Grace’s features. “Think you can squeeze me in anywhere else?” She asked.
Grace felt a flame light under her lust, simmering it back to life. Warmth built under her cheeks as she held Darcy’s sparkling blue-grey eyes.
“…I can think of a few places, yeah.”