Page 37 of My Tiny Giant

“What are you doing?” I grabbed onto my hair in a futile attempt to salvage what was left of my neat bun.

“Camouflage,” he explained, straddling my shoulder next to my neck then spreading my hair all around himself, like a curtain. “This way we can, hopefully, talk in peace.”

It was easier to hear him this way since he now was sitting right next to my ear. I shifted back, leaning against the tree trunk. “People would think I’m speaking to myself if they don’t see you.”

“Exactly. Nothing to see here.” He relaxed with his back against the side of my neck. “Just an odd alien woman sitting under a tree and having a conversation with no one but herself.”

I chuckled, moving my shoulder back a little as the tip of his tail stroked my nape. “You’ve no respect for personal space, have you?”

“Your concerns about that are severely belated, Eleven. You were the one who stuffed me in one of your undergarments, remember?” He hugged my neck above my shirt collar with his tail.

Agan must have done that to better keep his balance on my shoulder. The stroke of the soft fur on the tip of his tail, however, felt like a caress against my skin. I fought a shudder of pleasure that slid down my arms.

“I had no personal space left when sitting between your breasts.” His voice suddenly sounded deeper. “So close to you...”

I thought back to him killing the giants fescods with ease, and I had a hard time reconciling those earliest memories of him with his current size. In my mind, Agan had always been a large, grown male...who just happened to fit in my cleavage somehow.

“I prefer being close to you, Eleven, rather than apart,” he said unexpectedly.

My breath hitched. Caught off guard by his words, I wasn’t sure what to say, what to think even. He didn’t sound teasing or flirting but somber, which made his words and this moment somehow more profound.

We’d barely spent a day together. Most of that time, I couldn’t wait to get rid of him, to be honest. He didn’t seem to be particularly enjoying my company either, back in the jungle. Other than his parting words, he’d given me a strong impression that he disliked me.

How much of his life must have changed along with his size? Could the notes of longing I’d caught in his tone be coming from loneliness?

I drew in a breath, gathering my thoughts, extremely aware of the soft tip of his tail trailing up and down the side of my neck.

“How have you been Agan? Since we parted?”

I half-expected some upbeat reply from him—part-joke, part-bravado that suited him—but none came.

The silence stretched instead.

“Agan?”

He shifted on my shoulder.

“How could I have been, Emma? All I’ve ever done is fight fescods . I have no idea what to do with myself now. It’s a really shitty situation, and no one has a solution for it.”

I didn’t know what to say to cheer him up. Words of hope would sound false after what General Craxus had said about the corrupt professor. The only thing I could think of was to change the subject and hopefully steer his thoughts away from the despair.

“When did you get to Neron?” I asked.

“A couple of days ago. I came with the delegation from Tragul. General Trulgadi personally accompanied me here,” he added with a self-deprecating laugh. “Because of me, the leader of our Army is here when my country needs him back home to lead the fight against the enemy.”

“Agan, what happened to you wasn’t your fault.”

“It wasn’t. But the consequences of that...” He heaved a sigh. “I feel useless.”

“Is that why you agreed to this mission?” It dawned on me. “To be useful again?”

“That was the idea, yes,” he confessed. “To be honest, I was shocked to discover that there was something I still could do. Something that, like they tell me, I could do even better than anyone else now, because of my size. I want to do this. Though, I’ve never done a covert operation before.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” I assured him, encouragingly touching his leg on my shoulder. “The only problem I see would be for you to tone down what you are a bit, enough to remain undetected,” I teased. “More thinking, less charging into action. More stealth, less weapon brandishing. You know what I mean?”

Hearing his laugh in response was my reward for cheering him up.

“So, you want me to come with you?” I asked.