better (m/f)

54 0 0

by tea0731

by tea0731

"We're doing better."

Holden sighed, watching the tiny with exasperation.

"No," he dragged, rolling his eyes "y'all aren't."

Fatima placed her hands on her hips, bucking at the giant. "And how would you know?!"

He nodded his head towards the toaster, making the human's eye twitch.

"Beats me," Holden said, grinning.

He blinked and the human was suddenly inches away from his face. "You piece of- "

He tutted the miniature woman, uncrossing his eyes to focus on the wall behind her. "You're the piece here, Fats."

He felt a pebble hit his nose, the attack in question attached to the woman he dared to anger. A wicked grin rested on her face, and if he were any more stupid he would've told her it suited her gremlin nature.

"Don't say another word." She said, and Holden's face dropped. "It's written all over your face."

He scoffed. "In the stars, maybe?"

Her grin returned. "Your constellations, maybe." She teased, tracing his acne with a hand.

The giant felt his face heat up, trying to avert his eyes from a person whose entire vision was filled with his face. A pause here, a scuffle there, and he felt a warmth on the side of his face.

"Ima," he said softly, and she responded by snuggling further into his skin, "You're doing it again."

She patted his face a few times as he could feel her irate grin from his vantage point. "Shhh..." she said, and if she squeezed in any closer Holden swore she'd become a part of him, "it's okay, I forgive you."

His heart warmed, as he almost forgot what they were here for. "Fatima," he said hesitantly, and the air that followed confirmed she knew he was serious. "You trust me to help you, right?"

The silence ensued, Holden rushing to fill it. "Like with anything?"

The warmth detached from him, followed by an aggravated sigh. "Yes, Holden," she managed, taking a few steps back. "I do."

A soft smile played on his features. "And Mark?"

She scoffed. "Mark depends on you more than he depends on himself. I'd be surprised if he didn't trust you with his entire life."

The smile tugged further down his lips, although the earnest feeling never faded from Holden. "Then..." he tried, the implications overwhelming his smile, "why can't I help you now?"

The air conditioning filled the space between them as he gauged the tiny woman for a reaction. Fatima, at her big age of 32 (and small height of 5'4), wrapped her arms around herself, never looking less minuscule than she did at that moment. Holden breathed, bringing his pale hand in to meet her melanin.

"I..." she started, looking at him through dazed eyes. "I know."

She snapped back then, weaving around his pointer finger to meet his palm. Holden brought his fingers back in, embracing the woman in a hand hug.

"I know," she murmured in the skin. "But if anything were to happen to you..."

He stiffened. It wasn't a question of trust, then. Or at least, not the question he thought it was. Gingerly, Holden brought his hand (and the person it was occupied with), closer to his face. To her chagrin, of course, but if she had minded a pebble would've dented his palm.

Her surprise was short-lived as he turned her towards his face, studying the woman he looked up to for so long. "You don't trust everyone else, then?"

He phrased it as a question, but they both knew the answer. Like clockwork, the two crossed the little distance left, Fatima reaching towards his warmth and him reaching for his anchor. As Holden rose, his palm adjusted as a platform for the human, no words exchanged as she hopped on and he brought her to his neck.

A quick unfurl later had her cradled in that crevice, the space between his neck and face. She was cold, but she was comfort for the giant. Holden's thoughts drifted to Mark, who was used to making the giant his personal space heater.

"You don't have to lie, you know..." he whispered, and was surprised that the pebble doubled in its vengeance against his neck. "Hey!"

"Don't think I forgot about your handling," she threatened, but they both knew she was full of it. "Besides..." she said, snuggling closer to the place she just hit. "I wasn't lying."

He felt her look up at him, and it was as she repeated he understood:

"We're doing better."