The hurt/comfort fic prompt was requested by ReviloVani. I'm also gonna go ahead and tag Trinster101 and thatonesmlfan because this chapter might satisfy some of the things y'all requested as well, so we might be killing 3 birds with one really big stone.

Also, I know this is fiction but I just wanna say to anyone who might need to hear it: if someone is hurting you and/or people you care about physically or emotionally for no good reason, don't stay with them. It ain't your job to fix or heal them or whatever bullshit society is trying to peddle.

I personally don't believe Komisch would make a very good partner at all (which is why you don't ever end up in a romantic relationship with him in the x readers. If you're wondering why I continue to write them in spite of this fact, x reader scenarios are the only way I get to really explore AUs and concepts I can't add to the main story, because in x readers nothing has to have everlasting consequences since many of the stories exist in vacuums. Komisch is not very empathetic at all and not mature enough for a romantic relationship...yet. He has a lot of personal issues he needs to sort out. He will later in my story, but he's not there yet. In this particular story, he hasn't gone through much of his canon story character development.) but y'all requested it so I'm giving y'all what y'all want.

What you're about to read is a very fantastical situation that will likely never happen (if someone you know is eating people, report them to the fucking police), but I just wanted to say this because I have read and heard of some stories (popular ones aimed at young impressionable audiences at that!) where the love interest is a walking red flag and yet their abusive actions are peddled as "romance" and they and the main character STILL get together in the end. Yuck.

And I was a bit uncomfy uploading a story where you end up with Komisch without mentioning that these behaviors are not okay in real life. Being extremely possessive isn't hot, it's just toxic and lame.

Content warning (since some suggested I add them): attempted murder, murder of varying types of graphicness, child abuse, and alcoholism.

ANYWAYS all that drab and dreary stuff aside because I know yall are finished reading my rambling, if you end up enjoying this story, feel free to leave a vote and maybe follow me and check out some of my other stories.

As always, if you come up with a request please leave it on the request page because if you comment it anywhere else I will lose it and forget about it 😅

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"Alright everyone, I know you're ready to head out but I have a very important announcement to make--I've made my final selection for the coveted employee of the month award. As you all know, this is the employee who has gathered the most blueberries this month."

Mr. Bush gazed into the crowd and smiled. "Tag, you're it."

The crowd erupted into applause as Taggard Preas moved to the front of the room. People had been making that joke since Tag was practically in diapers. Your father eased himself out of his chair at the front and walked up to Tag, his large gray and black ringed tail swishing against the ground.

"Congratulations, my boy. I'd always envisioned you'd do great things." Your father smiled, grabbing Taggard's hand firmly and shaking it.

"Thank you, Mayor [L/N]!" Taggard shook your father's hand enthusiastically, his blonde squirrel-like tail waving with the same vigor.

He stopped shaking only for Mr. Bush to take his picture with the mayor for the wall. The crowd erupted into applause again. Your father clapped Tag's shoulder and held it firmly, shaking him and laughing.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight to celebrate, my treat?"

Taggard smiled. "Of course, Mayor [L/N]. I would be honored."

Your father clapped his shoulder again. "Good. We'll see you at 6. And don't be late."

"Of course not, Mayor [L/N]." Taggard nodded quickly.

You watched the whole ceremony go down from outside the front Dutch door of the office. Over the years, you'd witnessed many events that way. You honestly believed you'd spent more of your life outside than in. But this arrangement was best for everyone. At least, that's what your father said.

The thing is, you were born with a strange ailment. A curse more like it, and everyone called it so. It caused you to smell absolutely horrible. All the time. And the constant odor was even worse if you'd been sweating or in the mornings before you brushed your teeth. No amount of washing could get rid of it. You'd tried everything. Cures from all the nearest apothecaries, the best your father's money could buy. But it was no use. No one knew why or from whence it came. No one else in your family had it. No one else in your village had it.

Of course, being the stinkiest kid in town didn't do you any favors growing up. In school you sat at the back of the class, far away from the others, where your funk couldn't bother anyone. Or at least, bother everyone less. You weren't a popular playmate at recess, for running around playing and sweating only made the smell that much worse. You had been invited to birthday gatherings though, and kids had always shown up to yours. You suspected this was because your father paid the parents and/or the kids. But the money couldn't hide their unenthusiasm. When you began secondary school, you stopped having birthday parties and you stopped going to others' even if you were invited to save everyone the trouble.

You heard your father's enemies say that your curse was a punishment for something he had done wrong. Perhaps your mother and/or father had an affair, or he was doing nefarious things behind everyone's backs that would soon come to light. But your father didn't have many enemies. Practically everyone liked him. He was the leader of your village after all. You'd seen many people butter him up over the years in attempts to get and stay within his good graces. Perhaps you would like him as much as they did, if you didn't know what he was like behind closed doors.

You watched everyone start trickling outside from a place off to the side of the building. Flora and Ivy walked out into the sunshine, attached at the hip as usual.

"Oh my gosh, what stinks? It smells like something fucking died out here." Flora commented to Ivy upon noticing you, making sure she was loud enough for you to hear her insult.

Ivy snickered. "Someone should really do something about that."

"I know right. I mean, should they even be allowed to work here? What if their stink gets all over the blueberries?" Flora questioned.

"I mean, where else would they work? It's not like they have any talents or anything..." You heard Ivy retort as the two walked away.

You didn't believe Flora had any room to talk about anyone when she had a personality as nasty as the long, practically hairless tail attached to her rear. It reminded you of a rat.

But the anger boiling inside you soon cooled when you saw Taggard running over to you, his blonde hair bouncing with every stride. You and Tag had been friends for years. When you were really young, he fell while trying to climb a tree and broke his nose, and he never smelled another thing since. Your curse never bothered Tag. His prominent nose sat lopsidedly in between his striking blue eyes as a result of the injury, but you thought it was cute in a way. You didn't care. Taggard Preas was the most beautiful thing you had ever laid eyes on.

You plastered on a smile. "Congratulations, Employee of the Month!"

Taggard flashed you a bright grin. "Thank you. It came as a total surprise."

"Why? Everyone around here knows you work harder than anyone else."

Tag smiled shyly. "Yeah, I guess so. Hey, maybe if you try hard you can get your picture up on the wall one day." He said, punching your arm gently and causing your heart to skip a beat.

"I-it's okay. It's just a job, I'm not trying to win any awards or anything. Besides, I have tons of pictures with my father already back at my place."

Before Tag could respond, you heard Ivy shout, "Hey, T! We're gonna go hang out at the general store for a while, wanna come?"

"I-I don't know." Taggard stammered, but Flora came over and leaned on his shoulder.

"Why not? If anyone deserves to celebrate today, it's you." She said. You tried to pretend you didn't notice the way her tail discreetly wrapped around his leg. You pretended you didn't notice the way the fur on his own tail stood up.

"U-um do you want to come, [Y/N]?" Tag offered.

Pog, another one of your coworkers, butt in. "Dude, what are you doing? Are you seriously inviting them?"

Ivy snickered. "Yeah, we said we wanted to hang out, not stink bomb the place. Just being over here is giving me a bad headache."

Taggard looked from you to the others. It looked like it would be your job to make the tough decision for him, like always.

"It's okay. I'm feeling kind of tired anyway."

"Are you sure?" Tag asked. You gave a small nod.

Taggard shrugged. "Okay. See you tonight at 6?"

"Oh, yeah right." You'd completely forgotten he was coming over for dinner tonight.

He smiled. "And don't be late!"

He quickly scampered away--perhaps before you could change your mind--and went to do whatever it was people did when they were young and free and had tons of friends to have fun with. You sighed. You figured if Tag would be joining you for dinner it would serve you well to dress your best.

As you stood at the front door of the manor house, you took a deep apprehensive breath. Perhaps today would be different.

You slowly opened the front door, slipped in, and closed it as silently as possible, making sure your tail didn't get caught in it. You stood there, waiting to see if anyone would come to greet you. The house was silent.

You tiptoed forward and poked your head into your father's study. He was dozing in his chair, snoring extremely loudly. His ringed tail was wrapped around his body like a big fuzzy blanket. Any other time, the scene would've been peaceful. But the stench of booze mixed with cigar smoke ruined it. You guessed today was the same 'ol, same 'ol.

No one except you and your mother knew about your father's drinking. He hid his addiction well. You bet he'd been thinking about those drinks all day. Tag was coming over and he didn't even care if he reeked like booze and embarrassed you. He'd probably just try and blame the smell on you, like he always did. Sometimes he was even worse than the bullies. Sometimes you wondered what would happen if he drank himself to sleep and never woke up.

But you didn't have time to be mad about your father's alcoholism, you had to get a move on if you wanted to be dressed to impress by the time dinner was ready.

You combed out the fur on your tail before deciding to take a snack break. On your way to the kitchen, you almost tripped on an empty beer bottle.

"The fuck? How the heck did this get here?!" You hissed angrily.

You heard a snort come from the direction of your father's office. He called groggily, "[Y/N], is that you?"

You sighed.

"What?" You asked when you appeared in the doorway.

"What time is it? Are you just getting home? I know for sure it doesn't take an hour to walk home from the fields." He asserted. Those were big words, coming from the person who became winded from simply ascending a flight of stairs.

"No, I didn't. I got home ages ago. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get ready." You replied tersely.

He got up from his chair. "Hold on a second. Who do you think you're talking to? I clothe you, I feed you, I put a roof over your head and you have the nerve to treat me with such disrespect."

You mumbled something to yourself.

"What? If you have to say something, speak up!"

"MAYBE I WOULD RESPECT YOU IF YOU WERE SOMEONE WORTH RESPECTING!" You shouted. "Look at you! This place reeks of alcohol! You're going to embarrass me in front of Taggard!"

Your father grabbed you by your vest and slammed you against the wall of the study.

"You have been an embarrassment to me ever since you were born. But you don't see me crying and whining about it. You're the last one who has any right to complain." He hissed through clenched teeth.

He released you and you fell to the floor, panting heavily, every hair on your body sticking up.

"Now get up and go help your mother in the kitchen."

You slowly rose to your feet and rushed out of the room. You passed your mother in the hall and she gripped your arms tightly, demanding to know where you thought you were going but you shrugged her off.

You pushed through the doors and ran down the front stairs and you kept running, running, and running. Tears pricked your eyes, your lungs burned and your legs ached but you didn't care. You left the safety of your small village and stopped to rest at the base of a large tree. You looked up into the leaves of its canopy, high above the world where nothing could harm them.

You climbed onto its thick roots and leaped up, digging your claws into its bark. You climbed and climbed until you were a good ways away from the ground.

You paused to catch your breath. From up there, you could see your village. Or at least you would be able to, if it wasn't well hidden by the undergrowth. As you looked down upon all you've ever known, the tears returned and this time you did not fight them. You let the sadness wash over you as the sobs erupted from a deep place within your chest where you'd pushed them deep down for so long.

You calmed down eventually. Strangely, crying like a big baby made you feel so much better. Perhaps you should try it more often.

Still, you weren't ready to return home. You didn't feel like sitting through a stupid, awkward dinner where Taggard just kissed up to your dad all night. He probably wouldn't even notice if you weren't there.

You were pondering about what to do next when you heard a strange rustling noise. You froze, unsure of what to do. If it was a large bird, perhaps it wouldn't see you and fly off with you. You scanned the area, your pointed ears twitching. The rustling started again and this time you saw where it came from. You maneuvered slowly behind the cover of a leaf.

A man emerged from the dense thicket. He looked like the men in your village, only he had no tail or pointed ears to speak of. Surprisingly he had a mop of blue hair on his head. His clothing was a lot different than anything you'd encountered in your village. He was WAY larger than anyone you'd ever seen before. Maybe 20 times bigger than you at least.

You'd heard about Big People before, but this was your first time seeing a real one in the flesh. You'd always been told never to be seen by one, or you were as good as gone. Big People were greedy and disrespectful of the ways of the forest. They did not step with care for they cared not about the creatures that lived there. Staying far, far, far away from Big People and their big feet was essential for survival.

The giant didn't seem to notice you as he explored the area. Suddenly, he paused. You heard him sniff the air curiously. You had forgotten about your curse. And you'd forgotten that nervous sweating only made your odor all the more pungent. While his freckled face was turned away from you, you snuck closer to the bole of the tree. You scaled sideways and took cover in the tree hollow on the opposite side that the villagers sometimes used as an outpost.

You sat against the wall near the hole so you wouldn't be seen or easily grabbed should the monster go sticking his hands where they shouldn't be.

Your fiery attitude was quickly extinguished when the earth began to shake again. The quaking grew stronger and stronger as the monster proceeded closer. Gadgets and nicknacks on bookshelves crashed to the floor. Then the quaking stopped.

Your heart raced with anticipation. Would he find you? What would he do if he did? You wrapped your tail around you and squeezed it tightly to your beating chest. The tree's bark shook violently. As you were leaning against it, the strong vibrations pulsed through your body. You moved away from the wall but not in front of the hole, just in case this was a trick the monster was trying to use to get you to come out. The tree shook again, each quake stronger than the last. You heard the titan breath heavily.

The earth started shaking once more, but this time the quaking grew fainter and fainter as the creature moved on to attend to whatever business had brought him to your neck of the woods.

You heaved a heavy sigh of relief and wiped away the tears that had begun to form in your eyes.

"I just almost fucking died. " You laughed. It was funny now but it had been anything but when it was happening.

You couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when you told them about how you'd encountered a real Big Person and lived to tell the perilous tale. You bet all the children would get a real kick out of it. You moved to get up but your body still shook with fear. The monster could still be in the area and you weren't willing to risk it. You laid down on the floor of the lookout post, determined to wait it out until you were sure the monster was far, far away.

You didn't remember falling asleep. Perhaps all the crying and excitement had tired you out a lot more than you thought. You groggily stood and clumsily stumbled over to the hole entrance. The sun was starting to go down and it would be better if you got going sooner rather than later. You stuck around for a few seconds to make sure the giant was long gone before scaling down the tree and booking it back home.

When you got back to the village it was almost unrecognizable. Many buildings were destroyed, some more than others. Your own manor's roof had been entirely removed.

It was eerily quiet and the dust in the air burned your nostrils.

"Mom? Dad?!" You called out to no response.

"Taggard?!" You shouted after remembering he would've been there too.

You left the ruins of your house and roamed the quiet streets, searching the other buildings for anyone else. You tripped and fell on the uneven ground.

You had stumbled into a footprint bigger than your entire body. Well, more like a boot print. There was a trail of them leading out of the village and into the vast unknown of the forest. It didn't take a genius to realize the monster from earlier had come through here. If you hurried, there might have still been a chance you could save your neighbors before the monster harmed them. It wasn't like there was much for you in the village now that everyone was gone. And perhaps, just maybe, if you saved everyone you would be welcomed into the community as a hero and no one would ever make fun of your smell again.

You grabbed a bag from the empty general store and filled it with supplies. Your backpack only had room for one blueberry, but if you were lucky and rationed it, it would last the trip.

When you were set, you started on the trail of bootprints. It was strangely exhilarating. Being on your own, the wind blowing in your hair, the earth crunching under your boots as you began your new adventure.

Though it was surreal being on your own, you were glad the monster's lair wasn't too far away. His house was a lot larger than yours but at the same time it was proportionally smaller. Your house had two floors while his cabin made of logs seemed to only have one. Lucky for you, one of his windows was propped open.

You jumped up the wooden steps to the wooden porch. You climbed the legs of a wooden rocking chair that conveniently sat near the window to the seat, from the seat to the arm rests, to the back rest, where you jumped off to the sill of the window. You took a second to catch your breath before peering inside the cabin.

It seemed to be comprised of a single room. Across from the window was a kitchen and dining area, and in another corner of the room there was a bed, nightstand, and dresser. On the table, you noticed a large, circular object with small holes in the top. It was dark and opaque, so you could not see what it concealed. With no other leads, you decided to investigate that first.

You snuck through the open window. You made sure the coast was clear before getting a running head start and leaping over to a mahogany sideboard against the wall. You hid behind a large vase full of colorful flowers. You had to be extra careful. You were in the giant's territory now. Just as you were about to leap from the sideboard to the dining table, a door opened to your left and light flooded into the room. You leaped back behind the vase so fast you nearly knocked it over.

You watched as the monster walked over to the dining table and lifted the dark object, revealing your father, Flora, and Ivy all sitting around on a white plate.

"And then there were 3." He said, leading you to believe that everyone else had been killed already. Why was your father still here when your mother was gone? Why was Taggard missing when Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber were still safe and sound?

The monster sat on the bench and rested his elbows on the dining table, his hands clasped together in front of him. "So I trust you've finished deliberating amongst yourselves?"

No one said a word as they looked at each other.

"So? Who will it be?" The monster asked.

Your father's arm immediately shot up as he pointed at Flora.

"What?! Why me?" Flora demanded.

"I'll take that as a no...." The giant mumbled to himself.

"You've bullied my [Y/N] their entire life! Now karma has simply come to bite you back." Your father explained.

"Oh please!" Flora scoffed, "Since when have you ever given a shit about [Y/N]? You allowed all of us to bully them. And now you're trying to throw us under the bus to save your own skin? And what about Ivy, huh? They bullied [Y/N] too! Why can't they go first?!"

Ivy's eyes grew as big as saucers as they darted to your father. "No! I'm sorry! I only did it because Flora told me too! I've always liked [Y/N]! Really!"

Flora scoffed. "Oh please! You were always laughing along with me. And besides, [Y/N] isn't even here so who fucking cares. You should get to go first just for lying and trying to kiss ass!"

"You know..." The giant piped up, flashing the three survivors a smile. His jagged teeth had a red tint to them that you could only assume was achieved using the blood of the others. "If you all are having too much trouble deciding who should go next, I could always make the decision for you--"

"NO!" Your father, Flora, and Ivy all desperately screamed in unison.

Your father's voice became low and desperate. "[Y/N] is still out there. They've never lived on their own before, they're going to need someone to take care of them. The very generous, very kind, giant Mr. Komisch Tatsumi promised that the last one standing would be allowed to go free. [Y/N] needs me more than they'd need you two. I'm bigger, stronger, and wiser. I would be able to survive out there much better than you would."

Your father gripped Ivy's shoulder. "I've seen your performance numbers, dear. You've been a much better employee at the berry patch than Flora ever has. We need strong people to survive. Besides, you have good genes. Those will come in handy if we wish to repopulate the village."

Ivy's face contorted into a subtle "What the fuck?" expression, but she said nothing. She'd rather live and become your step mom than die.

Flora's blue eyes darted frantically between the girl she'd believed was her best friend and the town founder she'd always looked up to.

She turned to the giant, who's name was apparently Komisch Tatsumi. That was the strangest name you'd ever heard in your life, but you supposed that was irrelevant when the person who owned it held your life in his hands.

"How the fuck is this allowed?! Th-they're ganging up on me!" She shouted.

The monster tilted his head to the side, placing a finger on his chin. "How is this any different from when you and Ivy decided that your other friend--Pog was it?--should be sacrificed on account that he was too dumb to function? Or when you said your parents should go first because if they loved you, they wouldn't put you through the torture you were volunteering them for?"

He scoffed and chuckled. "I'm surprised they even agreed."

Flora looked away without another word. She stared at the porcelain beneath her feet and she appeared as if she wanted to vomit. The two other survivors slowly stepped back, putting more distance between them and her.

The giant lowered his open palm by the edge of the plate. "Alright Flora, it looks like it's your time to go."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Flora screamed and lunged at the two others. Your father backed away as Flora tackled Ivy. The two girls screamed and pulled at each other's hair and clawed at each other's skin. Ivy had even tried to stab her former friend with her antlers, while Flora tried to wrap her tail around her throat.

Ivy pinned Flora down on her back and
just when you believed Ivy was going to win, Flora's legs forced themselves into Ivy with a force only total desperation could muster. Ivy was launched off the edge of the plate and into the giant's greedy palm.

He closed his fingers tightly around Ivy.

"Oooh, tough luck! You left the plate and that's definitely against the rules."

"But I didn't! That rat slut pushed me off! How is that allowed?!" Ivy shouted.

"Well, I never said pushing each other off wasn't allowed."

"Wait! Give me one more chance! Please! I didn't try to escape!"

"Yeah, you see I could but....I'm getting a little snackish and you guys are taking way too long to pick a sacrifice so I'm taking things into my own hands--pun intended. Ivy is already in my hand, so I choose her. There." The monster announced. You saw Flora and your father breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

"And this might be a little bit forward, Ivy, dear--I mean, we've only known each other for a few hours--but I must say, you smell absolutely intoxicating~" The monster remarked with a malicious laugh as he brought Ivy closer to his mouth.

You looked away so you wouldn't have to watch what followed, but you could hear Ivy's desperate pleas until they were silenced by a loud, twig-like snap.

He swallowed and exhaled. "Ta-da! There! All gone!"

Your father and Flora weren't paying attention to him at all. Now that they knew they could force each other off, it was a free for all.

Your father pointed to the edge. "Flora, go. Now! You can be with Ivy in the afterlife."

"No way! I'm not going anywhere with that bitch after she tried to feed me to that thing!"

"Hey, this thing has feelings!" The giant said, laughing in a way that told you he didn't actually care at all.

"Why don't you just get your fat ass over there and get eaten? You're old and tired as fuck, who the fuck do you think you're procreating with?" Flora retorted as the monster died of laughter behind them.

Flora turned to the giant again. "Hey, monster! Why don't you eat Mr. [L/N] first? He's fat and juicy, he's got everything you could ever want. Surely he'd make a much better snack than lil petite and skinny ol' me."

The giant hummed thoughtfully and gave a toothy grin, his teeth stained with Ivy's blood. "He would, wouldn't he?"

Clearly desperate, your father came up behind Flora while she was distracted by her conversation with the monster and shoved her off the plate. He shoved her so hard that she flew off, rolling off the dining table and into the monster's lap.

"It looks like it's your unlucky day, Flora," He tsked, "It wasn't really nice knowing you at all."

You looked away again and just like that, Flora was gone. She disappeared down the beast's throat just as Ivy had.

Your father collapsed to his knees in raw relief. He had survived the hellish nightmare.

"Congratulations, Hendreary. You're the last one standing." The monster said slowly.

Your father nodded slowly. "Yes I am, and it's only by your merciful grace and generosity I am still standing here. As much as I've enjoyed staying in your lovely home, I really must go now, to my [Y/N]--"

"Woah, woah, we're not done here." The giant interrupted.

"The last one standing gets to leave, right?"

"Eh...I don't remember saying anything like that..." The giant drawled with a sly smile that said he clearly remembered saying that.

"You did! At the beginning! You said it loud and clear!" Your father retorted, trying not to yell insubordinately.

"Nope! Not ringin' any bells. If only there were any other witnesses but...everyone else is gone. You made sure of that, didn't you? It's your word against mine. And I must say Hendreary, you're very biased."

"Please! We can work something out! Whatever you want, it's yours!"

The giant clasped his hands together. "Hendreary, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret."

The monster leaned in very close to your father and whispered, "I've been eyeing you ever since you got here."

"W-why?" Your father stammered anxiously.

"Oh, I think you know why~" The monster grinned as he poked your dad in the stomach so hard he fell off his feet.

"Well l-let's not get too hasty now. You're thinking with your stomach and not your head. And as you can see, that's something we have in common."

When the monster did not laugh, your father continued, "If you keep me alive, I could give you anything! Money--"

"I don't need your money."

"I-I could be your pet! Anything you want, I can do it! I wouldn't be in the way, I could just sit back and be quiet and you'd never even know I was there."

"What about 'your [Y/N]'? I thought you needed to get back to them."

"Forget them. If you want me to stay, I can do that. Please, I'll do anything. They can starve to death for all I care. I will stay here with you. And if you don't want me to stay, I can go and get [Y/N] and bring them back here! They'd make a much better snack than I would--"

"Look man, Imma be straight with you. I've been rooting for you to win this. Not because I like you or anything, but because I was saving you for last."

"But I thought you had my back--"

"I don't even know you. You said yourself that I could have anything I wanted and unfortunately for you, you are what I want!"

He grabbed your father and you curled into a ball, unable to watch. You wanted to cry. You knew he didn't like you very much but you never thought he cared for you so little. You tried to cover your ears but you couldn't keep out the sounds of your father's screams. They went on for longer than the rest as the monster kept him alive longer so he could savor him. Finally, there was a loud squirting nose and then the crunching of bones. The only thing left of him was a disgusting final belch that erupted from the monster's throat.

Now what?, you wondered.

Everyone was gone. Dead. Your mother, your father. Taggard. There was no one left. No one in your village. No one to go running back to. You'd come to rescue them, but you were too late. Instead of pulling off a daring escape, you froze. It's not like you cared too much about Flora and Ivy, but you didn't want to watch them die. And your father...you still had good moments...sometimes. You couldn't remember any of them at that moment but you were sure there were some tucked away in your memories.

He was right. Braving the dangers of the forest would be tougher now that you were on your own...forever. Perhaps the monster had already ransacked other villages and you were the only one left....the only one left for miles...

When you raised your head from in-between your knees, you saw a flash of something dark out of the corner of your eye.

A giant black creature leaped onto your hiding place. It gave a mighty roar as it swatted at your body with its jet black feet. You backed away but took one step too many and fell off of the sideboard and onto the floor.

You weren't too hurt (your kind were a sturdy bunch) but you were almost killed when the creature knocked the vase you had been hiding behind down onto the floor, where it shattered into hundreds of pieces. Blood began to flow from one of the cuts you'd sustained, but your injuries weren't fatal.

You rolled to your feet and ran as the creature jumped down and began to give chase. You made sharp turns and rounded corners, hoping the creature would get tired of sliding into furniture and give up but it did not. Unfortunately because you were not familiar with the layout of the room, you found yourself in a dead end.

The creature roared at you again, flashing his sharp canines at you. He swatted at you with his foot, knocking you over. Before the creature could devour you whole you heard a loud, "Beethoven, stop!"

Before your brain could begin to comprehend what was even happening, brown fingers clasped tightly around your body and thrusted you up into the air. From up above the giant's head, you could see everything. Well maybe you could, if the sudden movement hadn't made you so dizzy and nauseous.

"Bad Beethoven! Bad, bad, Beethoven! Is that anyway to treat a guest?!" The monster scolded. The beast, who seemed to be called Beethoven, backed off and scurried away.

The giant lowered his arm. "You'll have to excuse Beethoven's manners, dear. We aren't used to having visitors in the cabin."

Surprisingly, he placed you down on the dining table before resting his elbows on it and clasping hands together, forming a triangular barrier around you.

"So, what brings you here?"

"CUT THE CRAP! I saw you eat my father and Flora and Ivy, and I know you've eaten the rest!"

"Ooohh, a bold one, are we?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. Thanks to you I have no one. Nothing. No family, no village to go back to. I have nothing to lose because you took everything from me!"

"It's not fair! You monster! What did we do? What did they do to deserve this?!"

The monster sighed. "All this talk about 'fairness' and 'deserving'...but that doesn't have anything to do with anything. I was hungry, I stumbled upon their village, and so I ate them. I had nothing against them. Some might even argue, it was fate. All the villages in the world and I happened to stumble upon yours..."

"Well newsflash little one: Life. Isn't. Fair. We come into this world with nothing and that's the way we leave it."

"Bullshit! You didn't have to do anything! You chose to eat them! You chose to make them fight for the right to choose because this is all just some sick game to you!"

The monster snickered.

"What? What's so funny?!"

"Oh nothing...I just find it humorous how protective you are of them...when they couldn't care less about you."

"You don't know that! You don't know anything about me!" You asserted.

"You're [Y/N] [L/N], right? Hendreary [L/N]'s kid?"

You nodded. He grinned.

"It's somewhat of an honor to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. When my little game began, I asked everyone who should go into the belly of the beast first. They unanimously voted for you without a second thought--including your parents! They gave all kinds of reasons like how everyone would be better off without you, how you're cursed, how you've always been a waste of space. I quickly became eager to feast my eyes on this loser myself, but we all quickly realized you were nowhere to be found."

The monster paused when he noticed you had begun to cry.

"Th-that isn't true..." You sniffled, "I know I wasn't popular...but they wouldn't want me dead...my own mother...my own father wanted me dead...."

"Don't cry, dear. It happens to the best of us." The monster cooed. "My father walked out on my mother and I. My own mother wanted me dead...so she drowned me. Needless to say she wasn't winning any mother of the year awards."

"Sometimes...things happen and we're led astray. Now you are alone...without clear purpose...doomed to spend the rest of your life wandering the earth in search of people who will love you. But no one will love you, [Y/N]. Nobody loves you [Y/N]. Not even your parents loved you, [Y/N]."

When you began to sob harder, he added, "But I can help you. I know what you should do."

The giant grabbed you abruptly. "Offer yourself to me."

"What the fuck?! No!"

"If I eat you, your life won't be in vain. You will provide nourishment for me." He explained quickly.

He unsheathed the sharp claw of his index finger. You initially believed he was going to slit your throat, but the claw moved from your neck to your vest and he sliced it open.

"Hey stop! Let me go!"

"Sorry about this but as you can imagine, the clothing fibers don't taste very good....and I wouldn't imagine they'd feel too good coming out the other end either."

You struggled to no avail as he ripped off your backpack and your bottoms and pulled off your shoes. You stared at the dining table below. You did not want to look at his face. You'd always figured the first time you'd be naked in front of another person was when you and Taggard finally made love to each other. But Taggard was gone. Dead.

The giant shifted his grip and grabbed you by your fluffy tail so that you were dangling upside down. You tried to cover your private areas, but the rush of the blood to your brain made you feel flighty and dizzy, unable to move your limbs in a coordinated way. You wondered if this is really happening...if this was just a nightmare.

He licked his lips. "The others really hyped you up, [Y/N]. Now I'm curious to see if you're truly as good a meal as they made you out to be."

The titan's lips parted to reveal a mouth of jagged, blood-stained teeth.

You heard him inhale. "You smell intoxicating, you know." He said quietly. You'd never expected to hear such words in your life, and you'd never expected to hear them in such circumstances.

His large pink tongue slithered out of his mouth and you turned away and closed your eyes. He dragged his tongue against your naked body, covering you in his warm saliva.

"STOP!" You screamed but he ignored you as he went in for another lick on the anterior side of your body. He moaned with pleasure as your small body was pressed against his tongue.

"You taste really good too~. Blood type [ur blood type], I presume? A little sweaty, but the salt adds flavor." He commented when he was done licking.

Before you could say anything more, he forced you into his mouth and everything went dark. You could feel his massive tongue all around you, curling around your naked body, toying with and tasting you.

You did not want to enjoy this--you shouldn't have been enjoying it at all--but you couldn't help it. Your genitals seemed to be enjoying all the saliva, warmth, and rubbing stimulation the tongue applied to them, and they were too horny and touch-starved to care that you were about to die. The depressed subconscious part of you wanted to stay, to feel orgasm and pleasure in the last moments of your life, for you were going to die anyway. And if you managed to escape by some miracle, you would never be able to experience anything like this again now that everyone is dead. You were facing a mixture of fear, pleasure, disgust, and confusion. You knocked against the monster's hard palate, kicked his tongue and screamed, anything for him to spit you out.

You felt a pressure building in your hips and you wondered if this was an orgasm. Without warning, a liquid shot out of your butt. It didn't feel like a shit but you had no idea what the heck it was. It smelt like the musk that had been making your life a living nightmare.

The monster let out a deafening shout that almost caused your eardrums to burst and spit you out onto the table.

He paid no attention to you as he ran away to the nearest sink to frantically wash his mouth out with water.

While he was distracted, you booked it out of there as fast you could. You jumped from the dining table to the sideboard and to the window sill where the window was still open. You leaped through it and scaled down the rocking chair. You scurried off the patio steps and kept running until your lungs and legs couldn't take anymore.

You laid on the grass, eternally grateful to feel the earth's sunshine beam down on you after believing you'd spend the last seconds of your life in darkness.

You patiently waited around for night to fall. The temperature dropped, but you wrapped your bushy tail around your body in attempts to keep you warm. You were alone, but you were no longer as fearful as you had been before because you had a newfound power. The musk that had tormented you your whole life had turned out to be the only reason you were still alive.

You climbed the porch steps and the rocking chair. His window was still open for some unknown reason. From the windowsill, you could see that the murderous monster was fast asleep in his bed, his black beast Beethoven resting at his side. You jumped from the sill to the sideboard, to the table again.

Unfortunately he had destroyed your clothes when he had undressed you earlier, but luckily for you, he hadn't been as rough with the clothes of others from your village. You quickly grabbed your backpack, a top, a pair of bottoms, and some shoes from the pile, anxious to get in and get out before the monster had a chance to wake up and find you.

Once you were back outside, you decided to find a place to rest for the night. You searched the area until you found a tree with a nice hollow hole. To ensure that your hole remained your hole, you would have to claim your territory.

You pulled your bottoms down and aimed your butt at the exterior of the hole. You waited, trying to remember exactly how to spray like you did before.

"One two three go!" You shouted. You clenched but nothing happened.

Did it only happen when you feared for your life? When you felt sexually aroused? Because the latter would be extremely inconvenient.

You tried to focus on the muscles and sphincters in your lower back. You relaxed and just thought about spraying, but nothing happened.

"UGH!" You shouted in frustration, the muscles in your back tightening. Surprisingly, this actually worked and some of the liquid shot out and hit the tree bark.

You couldn't really smell anything (you'd gone nose blind to your stench years ago) but the strong odor should keep any creature big or small away from your hidey hole.

You ran back to the giant's lair and took a few of his blueberries for yourself. He could spare a few blueberries after everything he'd taken from you.

As you ate your dinner, you decided right then and there that the monster's reign of terror would end now. He would pay for the lives he had so carelessly taken.

***

The next morning, you found the monster working away in his garden. He did not notice you up in the safety of your tree. Perfect. You would have the element of surprise on your side.

You slipped your hand blade out of your bag and grabbed a leaf to use as a makeshift parachute. You waited for the perfect opportunity before getting a running start and leaping off the limb of your tree. You slowly floated down with the help of the parachute. Unfortunately, your trajectory wasn't as precise as you'd hoped.

You were aiming for the top of his head so you could stab him in the brain, but you missed and brushed against his ear. His large hand came up to his head and absent-mindedly swatted at you, smacking you to the ground as if you were an annoying mosquito. Seemingly without even noticing you, he rose to his feet and walked toward the cabin.

Tears pricked your eyes and blurred your vision as you watched him walk away. He hadn't even acknowledged your presence. It was as if you were invisible to him. Just a small, insignificant speck in the vast world of bigger, more important things. Suddenly it dawned on you that when you died there would be no one left to remember you, or anyone else who had been a part of your community. No one would know what sort of fate awaited you.

You felt the giant's footsteps draw closer. If he did not notice you, you would likely be crushed beneath him. But you found it hard to care. Your life was already over.

Surprisingly he paused before he could step on you.

"Oh, it's you! I'm surprised you stuck around. That whole 'spraying anal juices in my mouth' thing was fucking disgusting. I could crush you for that, you know?" He threatened, hovering the patterned sole of his shoe over your body.

"Go ahead. Do it. I don't care."

The titan returned his foot to the ground. "Aww, well it's not fun if you're going to be so nonchalant about it."

He tilted his head to the side. "Why are you crying?"

"Why am I crying? WHY AM I CRYING?!?!? OH I DON'T KNOW! MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU DESTROYED MY VILLAGE AND ATE MY FAMILY! HOW DARE YOU ASK ME THAT AS IF YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! YOU'RE NOT EVEN THE LEAST BIT REMORSEFUL!"

"I don't even care anymore. Nothing matters anymore. Just fucking eat me so I can be with my family."

"Ugh, no way! You're not getting anywhere near my mouth after what happened last time. Besides, I ate all those people yesterday so.....they're in a...different place now."

He paused and the two of you said nothing for a while.

He sniffed the air. "You're bleeding."

"Yeah. That probably happened when you smacked me to the ground."

The giant reached up and untied the black bandana tying back his blue locks. He sat it next to you.

"Here. You can use that to clean off the blood. You can bring it back to me if you want. Or don't, I have others."

And just like that, the monster walked back into the cabin. You crept over to the bandana and gently patted your bloody cheek with the black fabric.

The bandana smelled like him, and you were surprised to discover that wasn't actually a bad thing.

You sat in the hole of your tree, wrapped in the giant's bandana. Your belly ached with hunger, but you were not interested in any more berries. You wanted something with much more...substance. Perhaps the giant had something better in his garden. Surely, he wouldn't mind if you took a few things.

You climbed down the tree and scampered over to the plots of dirt in front of his cabin. Just as you were choosing what to take, a titillating aroma filled your tiny nostrils. Your stomach's moaning and groaning made it hard to ignore the smell. But the smell was coming from the giant's lair, and you were supposed to be avoiding that place. You weren't supposed to go there....

Against your better judgment, you ran over to the porch, climbed the rocking chair, and climbed onto the window sill. If he had a problem with your presence, you could simply make the excuse that you'd only come to return his bandana.

Within the cabin, you spotted a large pot that was the culprit of the alluring aroma. You leaped from the sill to the sideboard, to the dining table, to the kitchen.

You searched the perimeter of the metal pot, hoping he had a few drops to spare (you'd heard in childhood tales that giants could be quite messy eaters).

"Well, well, look who's back~" The giant chirped. You wondered how such a large creature managed to sneak up on you.

"I'm surprised you have the guts to stick around here."

"I only followed the aroma of...whatever this is. That's all." You asserted.

His large brown eyes moved from you to the pot. "Do you want some?"

Your eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

The giant laughed. "I'm sure I could spare a few drops for you."

He poured a bowl for himself and used a spoon as a makeshift bowl for you.

"Sorry I don't have any tiny utensils--" He began to say, but you'd already begun greedily slurping at the warm brown liquid and grabbing the solid pieces of substance with your bare claws.

You moaned with pleasure. "What is this called?"

"Goulash. You seem to like it, do you want some more?" He asked, gesturing to your now empty spoon. You nodded quickly and he gave you another spoonful. You ate slower this time, making sure to savor the meal.

"Why do you need to eat innocent people when you can make delicious things like this?"

He rested his head on his hand. "I suppose the same reason you're eating that soup there. I get hungry, people start lookin' and smellin' mighty delicious, and so I eat them. Simple as that."

"You don't have to eat them."

"I can't live without drinking the blood of others. And because I am not a wasteful person, I use the rest as well. If I go too long without it, I get all tired and weak and dizzy and my appetite gets a lot harder to control. Then after I feed, I feel a whole lot better. Usually I try not to let it get too bad though, but sometimes I can't help it 'cause it's hard to find hosts and feed without anyone noticing. You gotta be real discreet when you have a condition like mine. "

"There's no people in this."

"Bold of you to assume that..." The monster mumbled.

When he saw your surprised expression he chuckled and said, "But no, there isn't. But...there is beef."

"What is beef?"

"You don't have cows where you come from?"

"What is 'cows'?"

"I'll take that as a no...so are you guys, like, just tree huggers that eat berries all the time, 'cause your friends kind of tasted like it."

"We eat bugs sometimes."

"Why?"

"Because we have to. For protein."

"And why is that not seen as a bad thing?"

"Because eating a bug and eating a person are two very different things."

"How so? I mean, who decided that? Is it because you perceive yourself to be more intelligent than a bug? And if so, why is perceived intelligence the criteria? Is it because bugs can't talk? Or at least, that you simply cannot understand them? Is it because bugs don't have feelings, or at least none that you can perceive? Is it because bugs cannot scream and cry for help when they are wounded, or are you simply deaf to their pain?"

"Is it because you think you're more important? Because in the grand scheme of things, you aren't. You might have people who love you, but a bug might too. It might have children or comrades that depend on it for survival. Many bugs have purposes that benefit us all as well, like pollination and pest control. There is nothing separating you from a bug, other than your physical appearance and physiology. Why is one more worthy of death than the other?"

You swallowed. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing in particular." He replied nonchalantly, "It's just something to think about the next time you eat anything that lived a life once. I didn't eat your friends and family because of anything they did, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, not unlike a fly caught in a spider's web. I read about your kind in a book once. The book said you were a delicacy, so I had to try you for myself."

You'd been called many things in your life, but a delicacy definitely wasn't one of them. That would be going up there with the time he said you smelled intoxicating.

"Well, were they everything you'd dreamed they'd be?" You asked sarcastically.

But he answered seriously. "Surprisingly, yes. There's something about tiny people that makes you tastier than Big People, perhaps it's because I can bite into you and eat you all at once, making a blend of all kinds of flavors. Obviously, I can't eat other Big People whole in one big bite. Though I'm not sure if you're the best."

"I drank this alien girl's blood once. I'd always wanted to try alien blood, I'd heard it was out of this world. " He laughed. "Her blood was blue, like literally, blue, I tell ya. If I had to choose, I'd say hers was best. The composition of her blood was just so different...it's as if it sang to me. Her boyfriend, who knew of my condition, told me to leave her be, but I couldn't help it. Despite my wishes and warnings, she was always around. The temptation was always there. I mean, just think of your favoritest food in the whole wide world and imagine it being around all the time, but you're not allowed to eat it, all the while the aroma tempts you....where was I going with this? How did we even get here?"

You shrugged. The monster was a lot chattier than you'd thought he'd be. But if you lived alone in the woods for who knew how long with no one to talk to because you ate everyone you came in contact with, you'd probably be pretty chatty too.

"ANYWAYS, what are you?"

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one that read the book."

"Books written by humans aren't always the best at portraying other species--I'd rather go straight to the source."

"....Are you a Borrower?" He questioned.

"The fuck is a Borrower?"

"They're little creatures that live among Big People. They usually live in holes in the walls and things where people can't find them. And they borrow things that people wouldn't miss to survive, like crumbs of food to eat and small scraps of fabric to make clothes. When I was younger and I got bored during Mass--"

"What is 'Mass'?"

"It's a...ritual where everyone gathers in a building and listens to an old man living a pampered lifestyle lecture all of us poor heathens about how to live our lives, and how much we need to give the multibillion dollar industry the old man works for the last dimes we were gonna use to buy food to sustain ourselves, because a mysterious force will reward us later...probably. If the mysterious force does not pay you back, then it's your own fucking fault."

"Wow."

"ANYWAYS, as you can probably tell, I did not enjoy this ritual. It was hard...listening to people talk about how we should be loving each other, while remembering how they mistreated and excluded me. So when I got tired of being preached at, I would pretend there were Borrowers in the room who needed my help. In my head, I would pretend they could use my rosary as a rope so they could climb, and I would open windows for them. I would break off pieces of my communion wafer so the Borrowers could eat the crumbs. The Borrowers were my secret friends. No one else knew about them but me, which is why everyone in town didn't think I had any friends--they didn't know the Borrowers existed."

"Why...did your community exclude you?"

He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to change his mind.

"Take a wild guess."

"Is it because you eat people?"

"No. I was small then, so I hadn't yet graduated to eating people."

You looked him up and down but you couldn't quite figure it out. You weren't familiar enough with the norms of Big People to know what kind of traits and behaviors they considered desirable.

"Do you give up?"

You nodded. "I give up."

"Well, it was because I'm not white."

You blinked. "What?"

"My skin is brown, and they did not like that one bit. Big People like to use this thing called 'race' to decide who is more valuable, among all their other arbitrary measures of worth. A mother saw me on the street once and told her kid that if they misbehaved, their skin would turn brown like mine. Pretty crazy for her to say something like that in front of a total stranger, but unfortunately she was not alone in her craziness. One time, one of my 'caretakers' scrubbed at my arms with a coarse brush till they got all red and sore to prove to the other children my brown-ness did, indeed, not come off. The playground teasing got so bad at that place I had to stay inside for recess. Parents told their kids to avoid me, so they did. And I avoided them, especially the girls, like the plague. I was afraid of what their big, scary fathers would do to me if their daughters said I was causing trouble for them. So The Borrowers were my imaginary friends."

You and the giant seemed to be a lot more similar than you had previously anticipated. It was almost a little unsettling. Here you were, two creatures so different yet so similar, brought together by chance. Never in your life had you predicted you'd find someone who knew what it was like to be the outcast, the one forced to sit on the sidelines alone. It made you feel feelings you couldn't explain, only made scarier by the fact that you should not have been feeling them. Not for him of all people.

"...I'm not a Borrower. My kind likes to stay as far away from Big People as possible. Or at least they did....for OBVIOUS reasons. We don't really have a name for ourselves, nor did we have a name for our village."

The giant nodded. "Right, that makes sense. I can't really blame you. As you've already learned, Big People kinda suck. That's why I moved out here to be by myself."

He ate a few spoonfuls of soup and swallowed.

"Why does your family hate you?"

"It's because I stink. All my life I have and no one knows why. They say I'm cursed."

The monster began to laugh as if you're suffering was some big joke to him.

"Why are you laughing?!" You demanded angrily, "I didn't laugh at you, so I was hoping you'd extend the same courtesy to me!"

"[Y/N], do you know what a skunk is?" He asked. You shook your head.

"For a creature born and raised in a forest, you seem to know little about animals."

"My village tried our best to keep animals as far away from the village as possible. Like Big People, animals could come and cause destruction, or they could kill the villagers."

He pulled a rectangular object out of the pocket of his sweatpants and tapped on it a few times before turning it to face you.

On the face of the object there was a picture of a creature with black and white fur and a bushy tail just like yours. The black and white striped pattern on its tail was eerily similar to yours as well.

"This is a skunk. They're little animals that will spray you with a disgusting musk when scared or threatened. Some people even keep them as little pets."

The giant swiped through more photos. "Being part skunk isn't so bad. They're actually kinda cute, especially the REALLY fluffy ones!"

As you looked at the photos, you agreed that some of them were very adorable. If the giant found the skunks cute, you wondered if he found you cute as well.

After the meal, you watched the giant wash the dishes.

"How are your injuries doing?"

"Fine," You replied, surprised he even remembered them, "You can have your bandana back if you want."

"I don't need it. It'll do you more good anyway."

"...Could you...draw me a bath?" You requested, for it was the least he could do.

He held out his hand. "Okay. I'll carry you to the bathroom."

"No, thank you. I'll go on my own!" You refused vehemently.

"Why? My legs are a lot longer than yours. You'll get there a lot quick--"

"Because I just don't want to, okay?!"

He shrugged. "Okay. Do you want the clothes from the others to change into? If you'd like, I can wash them for you while you're in the bath and they should be ready for you by the time you get out."

"Uh, sure."

The giant filled his bathroom sink with water and added lots of bubbles so it got really soapy. You'd never seen so many suds. You tried to make a cave so you could hide beneath the suds but it collapsed.

While you were playing in the water, the giant came and knocked on the open door. "Permission to enter?"

"Sure." You replied as you sunk down into the water and wrapped your tail around your body.

He placed the freshly cleaned clothes next to you on the sink."Sorry if this is weird. I just thought it would be easier for you to reach the clothes in the bathroom rather than outside of it."

"It's fine...thank you for the bath...and the clothes."

He shrugged. "It's fine. It's really no trouble at all."

The sight of the bundle of clothes reminded you of everyone and how they were so ready to sacrifice you to save their own asses. It wasn't easy to wrap your mind around such a thing. You realized that the monster, ironically, treated you better than anyone you'd ever met. He wasn't being nice to you because of who your dad was or how much money, power, and influence your dad had. And he didn't feed you to fatten you up, because he had no intentions of eating you.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" You questioned.

"Well...I don't have any reason to not be nice to you. You haven't done anything to me, or at least nothing I didn't deserve. And you're so small that it doesn't cost much time or resources to feed you or draw you a bath."

You nodded. "I see...so you can't smell my stink?"

"Not really, but that's because Beethoven and I are a lot bigger and make a lot more 'stink' than you do combined. So your smell is buried under our smell."

Without thinking, you replied, "I don't think you stink. You actually smell kinda nice."

"Oh...well...um...thank you. I'm just gonna...put this hair dryer away now." He said. When he leaned forward, the hem of his shirt lifted, revealing a sliver of skin. Connecting the space between was a blue trail of hair that disappeared into the waistband of his undergarments. What a sight. You hadn't intended to look down there, but the hair kept leading your eyes to places they probably shouldn't have been.

The giant lowered his arms. "I'll leave you to...doing whatever you were doing." He announced as he walked out of the room.

For some reason, you couldn't stop thinking about that place. It made you feel a sensation in your abdomen reminiscent of the time you almost orgasmed. But how could you feel that? And for him, of all creatures? How could he make you feel that way, after the murders you'd seen him heartlessly commit.

No longer interested in thinking about those kinds of things, you quickly got out of the bath, took your clothes and left.

***

You didn't want to go back to the giant's house.

Seeing him would only bring back memories of that strange, confusing feeling. So for breakfast, you set your sights on eating a juicy tomato from his garden.

You scampered over and scaled up the vine to a nice big one. You jumped on top of it but it didn't fall easily. You bounced on it again and again.

You turned your head to see the giant's hand coming down toward you. He gripped the tomato and pulled, easily removing the stubborn fruit from the vine. As he moved it, you began to slip.

"STOP! PUT ME DOWN!" You screamed as you sunk your claws into the fruit's skin.

Your sudden scream startled him. He jerked his hand and you lost your grip. He held out his large hand to catch you but you refused to land on it, instead using it as a jumping point to launch yourself off of. You grabbed the drawstring of his sweatpants and clinged to the fabric as you scampered down his tree trunk leg onto the safety of the earth below. He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?! I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO HOLD ME! I DON'T TRUST YOU! AND WHY SHOULD I? AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE..." You shouted. The last time he held you had ended with you nearly being eaten. Those hands had brought the others to their deaths. There was no way you were going to let them touch you.

The giant nodded slowly. "You're right, I wouldn't trust me either. If I were you, I would've booked it out of here ages ago, but I suppose you don't exactly have anywhere you can go back to...you should probably remedy that sooner rather than later. Winter is approaching and they can get pretty brutal."

"I...made you some breakfast but if you prefer the tomato, that's fine too."

The giant ate the crumbs that you would've called your meal and walked back inside. You watched him walk back to the cabin as you waited for your breathing to go back to normal and your heart beat to quiet. Then you took your tomato back to the hole in your tree.

After that little incident, the giant pretty much ignored you and you ignored him, only coming out when you needed your clothes washed or your stomach fed.

Winter arrived and it was every bit as brutal as the giant had promised. You layered your clothes and held your furry tail close to ward off the frostbite. And of course, the giant's bandana was a welcome added layer.

You told yourself you wouldn't go back to that death cabin. Well, that was until a heavenly aroma wafted your way. It was different from the goulash. It was sweeter, unlike anything your olfactory buds had ever had the privilege of experiencing.

Before you could truly comprehend what you were doing, you were back at the giant's window. He had his fireplace going, but that was not the source of the ambrosial smell.

You hopped through the window (for some reason, the giant always seemed to have his window open) and approached the white object that seemed to be the source of the smell.

"Ah [Y/N], you're back."

"I've only come to ask what...THAT is." You explained, pointing to the white object.

"It's hot chocolate...would you like some?"

"I guess...if you're offering." You replied, trying not to sound too eager or greedy.

The giant got up to make you a cup of his elixir. While you waited, a strong gust of cold wind whooshed in from the open window and pushed you over. The giant noticed the gust from outside and the snow beginning to fall. He rushed over to the window and closed it with a loud SLAM!

The sound frightened you more than it should have. The window was closed. Your only way out was closed. You were trapped. Even though nothing particularly scary had happened, you felt your heartbeat quicken and your underarms moisten. He'd only just closed the window but the room felt hot and stuffy and without enough oxygen. You took off your layers and your body was shaking even though you weren't cold.

"Are you okay?" The giant asked.

"I'm fine...it's just a little bit stuffy in here." You breathed, "Could you open the window back up please?"

"No. It looks like a snowstorm is coming in. We need to conserve all the heat inside the cabin. Besides, a little gust of wind just blew you over. Imagine what it would be like out there!"

The giant seemed to notice your state of subtle panic, for he asked, "Are you afraid of snowstorms?"

You paused and nodded. It was a lot less awkward than admitting you were afraid of him.

The giant paused before replying, "I can relate."

"Really?"

"Sure. The thought of getting snowed into your house with no one around for miles to help is kinda terrifying."

The giant hugged his arms. "You know, sometimes when I'm scared, I like to watch a movie or two."

"What's 'a movie'?"

"Huh. I'm surprised you've never seen one before. Now I have to make sure your first is the best, because you always remember your first."

He gestured for you to follow him and he sat your tiny bottle cap of hot chocolate down on his nightstand next to his mug. He went over to a large, complex device he called a TV.

"I think Bambi would be perfect for the occasion. It was one of the first animated full-length movies of its time, so a lot of the movie focuses heavily on the visuals and music rather than a super intricate plot. It's just a simple movie about cute animals doing cute things--a good choice for a first film." He explained.

He turned on the movie and you watched it as you sipped your hot chocolate together. The sweet, rich drink warmed your insides and made you feel better.

The movie was as simple and cute as he'd promised. There was even a skunk character that had friends despite being a skunk. If only you'd been born in a place like Bambi's forest, where no one cared about your smell. However, Bambi's tail reminded you a little too much of Ivy's. You could overlook that reminder until poor Bambi's mom died. Then you were saddened and distraught. Bambi's world had come crashing down, just like yours had when your family was eaten.

The giant apologized, saying that he had forgotten about that part of the movie. In attempts to cheer you up, he put on a comedy movie called Over the Hedge. But RJ's ringed tail and the bushy tail of Hammy reminded you too much of your father and Taggard respectively, and you were saddened once more (despite the skunk representation).

"Alright, that's it! No more woodland creature movies!" The giant announced before turning on a different program he'd called a documentary.

The film showed a vast expanse of blue. It reminded you of the sky but you knew it wasn't. You asked the giant what it was and he said it was the ocean. You asked him what the ocean was, and he found it hard to explain to someone who had never seen it nor heard of it before.

The film centered around a group of black and white creatures that resembled one of the plushies the giant kept on his bed. The narrator of the film called the creatures orcas, also known as killer whales. The group had actually been a family. There were other creatures you had never seen before called penguins and elephant seals and different places called coasts and beaches.

You'd quickly begun to see why the giant loved the orca creatures so much. The adolescent orca's curiosity frequently got her into trouble, but every time her family would come to her rescue. When she got stuck on the beach, her mother stayed by her side and showed her how to get herself unstuck. When she got distracted and ended up lost among the seaweed, her family turned around and swam all the way back to find her. Even though she seemed to be more trouble than she was worth compared to the other members of the family, they never left her behind. They also seemed to be very intelligent creatures, using all kinds of techniques like distractions and causing a panic to catch their prey.

However, you seemed to be the only one thoroughly engaged, for the giant had fallen asleep in the middle of the film!

You felt sleep tug on your eyelids as well, so you jumped on the TV remote's off button and the screen went dark. He'd given you some small fabric squares to use as blankets and a pillow to sleep on. It was strange, sleeping so close to the giant. He looked so....peaceful and harmless. He was almost cute. You noticed how soft his blue hair looked. The way it fell in his face...the way the curls looped and swirled. His lips looked soft as well, a lot less threatening than they did when you were about to be violently devoured by them.

That night you dreamed of him. The two of you were laying in his bed, except you were the same size. You were big like him. You could look him in the eyes. The two of you were completely nude. The hair on his legs tickled the skin of your own.

You reached out to him, gently removing a lock of hair from his face. Nervous, he wouldn't hold your gaze. His cheeks were red, and yours were too. You felt warm and fuzzy inside, unafraid of the snowstorm outside.

He moved closer to you until your chests were touching. You giggled, for his chest hair tickled your nipples. He reached out and gently caressed your cheek. He seemed as if he wanted to do more, but--like you--he was unsure and inexperienced. At least you assumed he was. You had no idea how long he'd been living in the woods. If the two of you were the two outcasts in a pod you believed you were, this would be your first time as well as his.

Eager to give him a nudge in the right direction, you wrapped your tail around him and pulled him closer. He fell and your lips finally met, their softness cushioning the blow. He held your face and kissed you passionately, sending waves of tingling electricity throughout your body. One hand let you go and eagerly traveled across your skin. Still occupied with the kiss, you felt his hand caress your genitals. Your body trembled under his touch.

The two of you had been so starved for touch that all you wanted to do was touch and feel and hold each other.

You were suddenly knocked out of your lustful slumber. The giant's arm had hit the side of the nightstand in his sleep, waking you up.

He'd been all over the bed (all the stuffed animals had been kicked on the floor, the covers were in disarray) but his eyes were still closed, his eyeballs rolling around beneath his eyelids. You could see the outline of the raging erection he had tucked away beneath his sweatpants. The relatively thin, stretched fabric certainly didn't leave much to the imagination.

It was the first time you'd seen a [penis/penis other than your own]. As you listened to his calm breathing, you wondered what kinds of things he dreamt about it. Did he dream about eating people and leveling villages? Did he dream about swimming with orcas? Did he dream about making love? Had he ever dreamt about making love to you?

***

"Could you do me a favor?"

Komisch shrugged. "Sure."

"I was wondering if...you could get on the bed and lie down completely still as I crawl on you...so I can get used to your presence...or something like that..."

"It's okay. You don't have to get used to my presence if you don't really want to. I get it, I don't really like people touching me either."

"No, I want to do this."

"Well, alrighty then."

He laid down faceup on the bed, his arms and legs slightly apart. You began climbing on his arm and he began to chuckle.

"Stop laughing! It's causing you to shake."

"Sorry. This is a lot more ticklish than I thought it would be."

When you reached his chest, you lay there, lulled by the rise and fall of his chest and the steady beat of his heart.

"Is this everything you dreamed it would be?" He asked sarcastically.

You shrugged. "I never dreamed I'd be lying on the chest of the man who murdered my family and not absolutely hating it."

"When are you going to get over that? What's done is done. Even if I wanted to bring them back, I can't."

"How exactly am I supposed to just get over something like this? You have no right to lecture me about how I'm dealing with this! You don't know what it feels like to have a monster come and destroy everything you've ever known."

"Actually, I do. When I was a kid, my country went through a few periods of war. War is basically when lots of people fight each other. Now, during war, Big People like to use these big things called bombs. I suppose they are technically not monsters as they are not sentient, but they can do monstrous amounts of damage! When they land, they can set everything on fire or turn people to dust in an instant. It all depends on what kind of bomb you're dealing with."

"In one of the biggest wars my country had, they dropped a bomb on the city I was living in. The orphanage--which is a place where they keep parentless children no one wants to deal with--I was staying at was utterly destroyed. Lots of other buildings were burnt down by the inferno too, and lots of other people died. If I wasn't....the way I am, I would've died as well. One of the ladies at the orphanage made me give my gas mask to another child she deemed to be more deserving of it. It's kind of funny how even when there was a literal bomb outside, they still found the time to be needlessly racist."

"And how did that make you feel, losing your home and all those people?" You questioned.

"I don't quite remember actually, but I suppose that's just the nature of my condition. I had no real possessions to speak of and I don't even know if I cared for anyone at the orphanage. They certainly didn't care too much for me. I was different and I didn't belong there, and they never let me forget that. So you learn not to get too attached--everything and everyone is temporary and replaceable. You stay for a bit, then you have to move on and find a new place because it isn't safe to stay put for too long."

"That isn't a very good comparison if you can't even remember how it felt. Try to see it from my point of view. The memory and the pain of losing everyone is still fresh in my mind. And the memory plagues me because now...."

"Now...what?"

You wanted to say you'd developed conflicting feelings but you didn't know how he would react to that. What if he laughed at you? You weren't sure what to do. He ate your family and had even tried to eat you, yet after that he'd only treated you kindly, much kinder than the people he had eaten. He already had so much power over you, you were reluctant to grant him emotional power as well.

"You remind me of a guy I know." Komisch said suddenly.

"He's pining away after the man who abused and mistreated him because he's desperate for any semblance of affection, no matter where it comes from. Even if that sick fuck only pretended to give a shit about him because he wanted to use his body for sex. He stupidly believes that man loved him, just because he said he did."

"But love is a lie, and no matter what anyone says, it isn't without conditions. It may seem as if it is unconditional, but if you make a mess and they decide you're not worth the trouble, they won't hesitate to drop you. They'll love you as long as your presence is beneficial to them in some way. Lovers only love each other so they don't have to fear dying alone, so they can use each other's bodies for their own pleasure, and so they can have more money than they would've had on their own. Parents only love their children because they think they're cute, want to live through their success and they want someone to wait on them hand and foot when they get all old and senile and shit."

"I've seen it time and time again. It's an interesting game I get to play if I manage to capture a family, or a community of people who know each other, like I did with your village. It doesn't happen often, but it's always interesting when it does. I let them decide amongst themselves who goes first. You should be glad you weren't there to see what happened. They offered you first, until they realized you weren't even there. And then there was the panic. Lifelong friends turned on each other, husbands turned on their wives to save their worthless lives. It doesn't even matter in the grand scheme of things. They were all going to get their turn and they were all going to the same place. Going first or last wouldn't have made it hurt any less."

"Sometimes if there's the really selfish type who tries to sacrifice other people, I toy with them a bit more than the others. There was the fat one you call your father. Tried to make up all these excuses for why his life was worth more than the others, but all I saw was a worthless prick."

"You say that as if you aren't a terrible, murderous person, yourself."

"Hey, just because I'm a terrible person, doesn't mean your dad isn't one. That's not how that works. Those people don't deserve your tears, [Y/N]."

"What makes you think you have the right to be so critical of the others? They were just trying to survive the best way they knew how! You've never been in their situation so you wouldn't know what it's like."

"True, you have a point there. Sometimes I think about what would go down if I were ever in the same situation. Thanks to you, now I know for sure. If that would've been my little rural Bavarian town, I would have been sacrificed first, just like you. I was a black stain on the community. I'm pretty sure they only kept me around because they wanted to make themselves believe they were good people, good enough to provide food and shelter for the black orphan no one wanted. No one liked me, no one would care if I was gone. What's one worthless orphan when you've got tons more?"

"I don't know why you care for them so much after the way they treated you, but I'm sure the fact you have to deal with that all the time is why you have such patience. If it were me, I'd be glad they were dead. My abusers better be glad that they're no longer alive or I don't know where they live because they definitely wouldn't be alive anymore if I got my hands on them. I'd let them know how they made me feel and I'd make them wish they'd never been born."

"Wow...you're a very angry person."

He snorted at your unexpected response. "Well, yeah. I'm surprised you're just now realizing that."

"That's kind of funny...in a sad way. These people you hate so much, they've moved on. By your own philosophy, they don't think about you, they don't care about you, they probably don't even remember you. But here you are, brooding and boiling over them, still pained with the memories of how they hurt you. You've...immortalized them. Even though they sound like the type of people who shouldn't mean anything to you. Wouldn't it just be better to forget about them...the same way they've forgotten about you?"

You noticed his heart beat slow. "I've...never thought about it that way before....get off. I want to move."

You slid off Komisch's chest and jumped over to his nightstand. He turned to lie on his side, his body propped up by his elbow.

Boldened by the space between you, you asked, "Do you really believe all those things you said about love...that people only care about their selfish needs and desires?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well then I guess...what I really want to know...is what are your needs and desires? Why do you allow me to stay here? Why are you nice to me? I mean, I get free room, meals, and board, but what do you get out of this exchange? I know you're not going to eat me and you haven't put me to work...so what do you want with me?"

Komisch looked away from you. He hadn't expected you to throw his own logic back at him.

"I...I..guess I've come to realize I do not absolutely loathe your presence. And like I said before, you don't take up much space or resources at all, so providing for you after living on my own all these years is no skin off my back."

He looked away again and you swore you noticed the brown skin of his cheeks take on a reddish hue.

"Besides...it seems I've come to enjoy our little chats. Though we end up arguing sometimes...sometimes a new perspective isn't entirely a bad thing. You're a bold little thing too. I respect that. You came all this way to save the others, despite everything they've done or what I could've done to you if you were caught. Even after their deaths, all you can do is think of them...." He trailed off.

"Maybe...in some strange place inside me...I'd hoped that you'd come to feel that same fondness...for me....or something like that, maybe. I dunno. That is selfish in its own way, so don't think you've disproven my little theory. I like having you around because it's convenient and you provide me with companionship. If you felt the same way, it would make me feel good about myself. And if you had an obligation to go somewhere I would not want you to leave, because then I would be lonely again. Well, I guess I'd have Beethoven but it's not the same."

Komisch shrugged. "But...those were just dumb thoughts. You still miss your people and I'm sorry that you do but there is no way to get them back."

You hugged your knees to your chest. "I'm honestly surprised. I think...I'm starting to feel the same way. Maybe...I don't know...It's just...I never imagined that I'd meet someone who knew what it was like to be so...different. I don't feel so alone anymore and...I kinda like it...." You mumbled shyly and buried your face between your knees.

Then you stood. "Maybe...it's best we forget about the past now. We should forget about the ones who hurt us because what's done is done. We can't change it, but it doesn't have to define our future."

The giant nodded slowly and held his pinky out to you.

"Um...what are you doing?"

"Oh, uh, it's a thing Big People do called a pinky promise. Whoever does one is bound to the promise they made to the other. Your pinky can't wrap around mine so you can just, er, hug my finger if you want."

You wrapped your arms around his skinny digit and held it tightly.

Still holding onto his hand, you asked, "Could you do me another favor?"

"Sure."

"Could you hold your hand out without moving it...so I could get used to being held?"

You let go of his finger and he stretched his hand out flat on the nightstand like a fleshy, peach carpet. You took a deep breath before mounting one knee on his finger. You placed both hands on it and hoisted yourself up.

As you stood on your hands and knees, you felt his hand tremble ever so slightly. Through the skin of his thumb, you could feel his pulse race. You crawled to the center of his warm palm and sat, your tail curling in your lap. His skin wasn't very soft. The skin was calloused and rough grooves covered the surface. But despite this, it was warm and inviting. You felt no more fear.

"Alright, I'm done now." You announced and crawled off his hand and back onto the nightstand.

Komisch shook his hand, glad to no longer have to assume such a stiff position. "So...how was it?"

"It was...good." You replied, chuckling awkwardly.

"Good." Komisch replied, using his finger to gently ruffle your hair and pat you on the head.

●●●

The two of you eventually came up with the idea to write down the names of the people who wronged you on a piece of paper and burn it so that they would truly be gone forever, never to be spoken of again.

Komisch began to put pencil to paper but paused. "You know what? They don't deserve to be written down. I can't remember all their names anyway." He concluded, so he simply wrote "Those Who Shall Not Be Named (You Know Who You Are)".

He set the pencil and paper down in front of you. You took the pencil in your arms, but its length made it hard to manipulate. Komisch chuckled and gently took the writing utensil from you.

"On second thought, maybe I should write them down while you say them aloud."

"Okay. There's my alcoholic bastard father, who tried to sacrifice me and always treated me like I was a black stain on my community. My mother, who let him treat me that way, never coming to defend me. Flora, that bitch that wouldn't let me forget I was different and Ivy, her brain dead sidekick. Pog, another brain dead asshole. And Taggard, who I thought was my friend--"

"Woah, woah, who is that?"

You shrugged. "Oh he was the one with the glistening bronze skin...golden hair...beautiful blue eyes...I've had a crush on 'im for as long as I can remember. He broke his nose when we were kids and lost his ability to smell, so my musk never bothered him." You explained, just now realizing you had almost entirely forgotten about your smell, for Komisch had never brought it up.

"He sounds like some guy...." He mumbled, "But no one I ate fit that description. Not to mention, I definitely would've remembered a strange name like Taggard. No judgment though, I've got a strange name too."

You beamed. "You mean Taggard might still be alive?! Oh my gosh, we gotta go find 'im right away! Who knows how long he's been in the wilderness all alone!" You said, beginning to make a mental list of everything you'd want to pack for the journey.

"[Y/N], wait! I-I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why?"

"Well I...I just don't think there's any...room for Taggard here..."

"Nonsense. The two of us won't take up any space at all. If anything, you and Beethoven occupy the most space. I can't just leave him out there to die."

"He's survived without you this long. And if he hasn't, I'm not gonna let you go risk your life for a corpse!"

"It's a good thing I didn't ask you then. I'm going whether you like it or not."

Komisch said nothing. You noticed his brown eyes flit to the sideboard where he'd put the new flower vase that replaced the one that had been broken months ago.

He lunged at you and wrapped his fingers around your body tightly. Disoriented, you couldn't even fathom what had happened until you hit the glass bottom of the tall, empty flower vase on the sideboard. The walls were too slippery for you to climb and too high for you to jump.

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"I can't let you go running back to Taggard. You don't need him. You have me now. I will protect us. And in order to do that, I can't let you go running around who knows where, risking your life for people who would never even think of risking their life for you!" The monster shouted, slamming his fists on the mahogany wood. You shielded your ears from the deafening shouts and the reverberation of the glass.

You looked up at him, your vision blurred by the refraction of the glass and the fresh tears pricking your eyes. You felt warm, too warm. No matter how hard your lungs heaved, you still couldn't get enough air. You pressed your back against the wall of the vase and slid down till your butt hit the floor as you sobbed.

Suddenly, the vase turned over. He slid you into his hand but you jumped off in favor of the safety of the sideboard instead.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?! I TRUSTED YOU!"

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry! I-I just--"

"YOU JUST WHAT?!"

"I-I thought you were leaving a-and I panicked--"

"JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" You cried.

Eyes wide, he backed away, unsure of where to go. The cabin was only truly one room that didn't leave much space for privacy.

He gestured for Beethoven to leap into his arms. "I'll be outside on the porch...if you need me..."

Then he left the cabin and shut the door behind him.

When the giant returned, he found you in the tiny bed he'd crafted for you on his nightstand.

"Uh, hi, [Y/N]...are you feeling better now?"

"I don't know. How should I feel after the person I'd just learned to trust destroyed that trust within an instant?"

The monster sat on his bed and hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry about that. I really am. I normally don't really mean it when I say that, but know that I do now. I never should've done that, that was...horrible."

"I just...you confuse me, [Y/N]. You make me feel strange feelings I've never felt before and I guess I...I just don't know how to deal with them. Sometimes I feel that I would be better off as I was before...before I had to deal with these difficult things. Life is much simpler when you're on your own. But then in order for that to happen, you'd have to leave me, and I don't want that either. I was afraid you'd go and you'd never come back, whether by a horrible accident or your own volition. But I realize that it's not really up to me, I guess. I wouldn't want to be caged up, if I were in your position. If you really must go, I hope that you'll at least let me accompany you."

So at this fork in the road, yall have two choices. I had two different endings in mind so I was like why not do both?! It's 2023, the year of trying new things with my content both writing and art wise.

Choice 1: You assert your position and go alone.

Choice 2: You concede and allow the giant to come with you.

I'm not going to tell you which results in the good ending or the bad ending or anything like that because that would be spoiling! You just have to make the choice, scroll to the header with the choice you made and read to see if everything turns out how you want it to. Cheers!

CHOICE 1 : YOU GO ALONE

"I should go alone." You asserted. "Tag would probably run away if he saw you, and I don't want to scare him."

The giant nodded. "Good point."

The next day you prepared for departure in the early morning.

The giant bent down and handed you a small paper-towel wrapped object.

"Here are a few small pieces of butter cake just in case you get hungry. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you. I'll be back before you know it. "

He stood on the porch and waved goodbye as you crossed the front yard and embarked on your journey.

As you walked silently, leaves crunching beneath your tiny boots, you had a lot of time to think. Perhaps you should have given more thought to your plan to rescue Taggard. If you managed to find him, he would likely want to team up.

But you couldn't bring him back to the giant's house with you. He wasn't like you. He was normal. And that meant the giant could eat him. There was a chance you could convince him to let Tag be, but the giant hadn't had to control his thirst for blood before he met you. He'd been living in that cabin alone for who knew how long. He'd eaten what he wanted and felt no guilt about it. You weren't sure if you were willing to take the chance.

Besides, you weren't sure how the time alone would have changed him. The last time you'd seen him, he'd abandoned you in favor of fitting in with others. If he hadn't liked you then, he may develop feelings for the wrong reasons.

You didn't want to complicate your life like this. You just wanted to be with Komisch, free of all the baggage from your old life.

You sat down on a fallen twig and ate the pieces of butter cake to quell your hunger. Then you turned around and walked back to the cabin.

Komisch was sitting on the porch steps waiting for you. He stood and knelt down on the ground when he noticed you.

"[Y/N]! I can't believe you're back so soon. Or that you're even back at all. I just wanted to say, again, that I'm sorry for being so lame and trying to trap you. I was worried that....I'd never get to tell you how sorry I am."

"I forgive you, really. Just as long as you never do it again."

Komisch nodded quickly. "I won't! So...how did it go?"

"I couldn't find Taggard. He must've run away after finding out a giant was in the area." You replied.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye." Komisch said quietly, patting you on the head with his finger.

"Thanks, but I'll be okay. What's done is done. All I can do now is look forward to my future, with you."

CHOICE 2 : KOMISCH COMES ALONG

"Alright, you can come." You replied.

He smiled. "Really?!"

"Of course...if you really want to."

"Of course I want to. I'll start packing right away!"

You rode in the pocket protector of Komisch's shirt, for you weren't entirely comfortable with him carrying you. The two of you traveled silently, the leaves crunching under his boots. Things were still a bit awkward after yesterday's incident.

"We're almost there." You announced when the scenery began to grow more and more familiar. "Perhaps you should stay back so we don't scare Tag away."

"Good idea." Komisch agreed. He offered you his hand as you climbed out of the pocket protector and lowered you to the ground.

As Komisch moved to hide, you proceeded to the ruins of your village. The winter snowstorms had done a number on the place. You stood in the center of what used to be your village.

"Taggard? Tag, are you there?" You called.

"...[Y/N], i-is that you?" You heard a voice reply.

Taggard emerged from one of the house's that hadn't taken as much damage. His hair was longer and a small beard was growing on his face but other than that, he still resembled the Taggard you'd known and loved.

You nodded quickly. "Yes! Yes, it's me!"

He rushed over and embraced you tightly, tighter than you'd ever been embraced before. He pulled away quickly and held your cheeks in his hands.

"How the heck did you survive?" You asked.

"When I came to your parents house for dinner, you weren't there. Mr. [L/N] said you ran away so I offered to go bring you back, but when I left the village, I saw a Big Person, so I hid. I couldn't find you so I went back to the village and once I did, everyone was gone."

His blue eyes became glassy with tears. "I-I thought that Big Person took you. I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again."

Your own eyes began to get a little wet as you said, "I'm here now."

Without warning, Taggard placed his lips on yours. Your heart skipped a beat. You couldn't believe it. All your life you longed to know what it was like to feel his affection and it was finally happening.

You pulled away, a wave of guilt washing over you for enjoying the taste of him. Tag opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by a sudden shaking of the ground.

"Woah, woah, woah! What the hell is happening here!?"

"MONSTER!" Taggard screamed. He got in front of you, putting space between you and Komisch. Tag threw a spear he'd made at Komisch but he easily slapped it away.

"Guys, stop it!" You shouted.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! They're with me, not you!" Komisch angrily informed Taggard. Tag glanced at you, a gaze of horrified confusion on his lopsided face.

You waved your arms. "Nothing was
happening! He was just glad to see me!"

"That kiss looked like a whole lot of something to me."

Komisch picked Tag up by his tail, leaving his body dangling upside down. "So this is the dreamboat with the 'glistening bronze skin' and the 'golden hair'? Heh, I'm not impressed."

Komisch threw Tag at a nearby tree. You screamed as his body smacked against the bark.

When he landed back on the ground, you rushed over to his limp body. He coughed and wheezed after having the wind so thoughtlessly knocked out of him.

"Are you okay?"

Taggard managed to wheeze, "Run, [Y/N]...run away..."

You turned when you noticed Komisch's shadow upon you.

"Stop this!" You demanded.

"Get out of my way, [Y/N]! We made a solemn promise to each other to forget all the things of our old lives, and that includes that thing!"

You held Taggard close to you. "I-I can't let you kill him. I-I care about Tag...I-I've known him all my life. I can't just forget about him!"

Komisch's face fell and he sighed. He knelt down.

"I understand that you're upset." He said calmly. "This man who never gave you the time of day comes along and kisses you, and makes you think he loves you but he doesn't. He's just scared of being alone in the wilderness and he wants you to stay with him, but we're not sticking around here. There can only be one of us, and you must get rid of the old to make room for the new. There is no room for any 'Taggard Preas's in our new life together."

As Komisch spoke, he grabbed you. You hung on to Tag but Komisch was stronger and he pulled you away.

"[Y/N]!" Tag shouted. He used all his energy to stumble to his feet. He punched Komisch's shoe but this obviously had no effect.

Komisch laughed maliciously and kicked Taggard, who slammed against the tree and fell to the grass again.

"Look at how pathetic he is, [Y/N]! He should be glad I don't have to take a leak right about now..."

"And don't even bother following us." Komisch warned. He gagged and spit on Tag's battered face. Well at least that's what he would be doing if he were smaller, but Komisch's saliva coated his whole body.

To add injury to insult, he raised his boot and stomped on Tag's body with excessive force. You heard the crunch of Taggard's bones as the sole made impact.

"TAGGARD!" You screamed for him. "STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

But the monster did not stop. He stomped again and again and again. When he was done stomping, he twisted the sole of his boot into the dirt to ensure there was nothing left of your childhood friend other than a red stain of bones, flesh, and fur. The monster breathed heavily and wiped his mouth with his free hand.

"There. He's gone now. Now we can move on. What's done is done."

The monster loosened his grip on your body and slid you into his pocket protector again. He adjusted the straps on his backpack.

"Come on, [Y/N]. Let's go home."